Politicians who want to use them for violence, admitting that there is
“anxiety in the air” as the country prepares to elect a new President on
Saturday.
This formed part of his remarks at the signing of a peace accord on the
2019 presidential election, held at the International Conference Centre
(ICC), Abuja, on Wednesday.
Buhari expressed excitement that more women and youth candidates showed
interest in taking up elective positions in the 2019 elections, just as he
urged all candidates to commit to the ideals of a peaceful electoral
process.
He further restated his commitment to ensuring free, fair and credible
elections.
THE FULL SPEECH
Another election is upon us and not unexpectedly, there is anxiety in the
air. This is typical of any form of competition and contest, no matter how
well prepared all contestants and regulators are. The forthcoming
elections are very special and significant for the growth of our
Democracy.
First, they come immediately after one of the most peaceful elections in
the history of our country. I am not saying this because I was blessed to
emerge as the winner. I am saying there had been a lot of fears and
anxieties from within and outside Nigeria about the future of the country.
We are hopeful that this is evidence that we are all maturing in our
disposition towards electoral outcomes. We see this as an opportunity to
grow our sense of political culture in Nigeria.
Secondly, we are witnessing an exciting development in the area of the
engagement of our Youth and Women in the democratic process. Hitherto,
these groups have often not been in the mainstream of our political
competition. It is in appreciation of their contribution that we passed
the Not Too Young to Run Bill last year. The success of the Act is
illustrated by the unprecedented number of young men and women who have
stepped forward to participate in this process as Candidates at all
levels. Significantly, we have witnessed also the emergence of Women as
Candidates across the political space.
Thirdly, these elections are taking place against the backdrop of the
emergence of an unprecedented number of Political Parties. As of now, we
have 91 Political Parties, out of which over 70 fielded Presidential
Candidates. Although some Candidates have dropped out of the race, there
is no doubt in our minds that our country is moving forward and that our
democracy is expanding and also deepening.
I call on all Nigerians to contribute to the building of a viable polity
by more active participation well beyond the mere casting of votes.
Elections by themselves do not constitute Democracy. It is the spirit of
citizenship engagement that utilizes the energy of citizens towards the
attainment of good governance.
We have assembled here to mark the final phase of our campaigns and we are
now at the doorstep of our elections. The Campaigns so far have gone well
and we thank God for that. For the few incidents in which people lost
their lives largely through accidents, we pray that God grants them
eternal peace. Now campaigns are over and our next assignment is for us
all, citizens and contestants alike, to go out and exercise our civic
duties.
We, the Presidential candidates are here to sign and commit ourselves to
do all that is possible to ensure the success of the elections but most
importantly to accept the final outcome. I appeal to my fellow contestants
to commit to these ideals so as to keep our country and people safe. The
Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, our electoral Umpire, has
already assured us that they have done everything possible to ensure free
and fair elections.
It was to ensure this that I made sure that INEC received all the
resources they needed to perform their job. Our Security Agencies have
been fully briefed and they know that their visible neutrality is key to
the conduct, credibility and success of the elections.
To the Rt. Honourable Patricia Scotland, the Secretary General of the
Commonwealth Secretariat, we extend our felicitations and welcome to you.
Your presence here and your friendship mean a lot to us as a country. To
the Members of the Diplomatic Corps, the International Team of Monitors,
again, I say, welcome to Nigeria and thank you very much for standing by
us. Your presence helps to validate our process and commitment to growing
our Democracy.
I want to thank General Abdulsalami Abubakar, the Chairman of the National
Peace Committee and all his members for the hard work they have put into
ensuring that our Elections are peaceful. Your great work contributed
significantly in shaping the 2015 elections and we are sure that the same
impact will be felt in these elections.
To all our citizens, I want to thank you. As we go into the elections in
few days, please let us pray for our country. Let us use this opportunity
to strengthen our beliefs in a united country. Our elections are important
only to the extent that they make our country peaceful and prepare us for
development.
I am making a special appeal to our young people: Do not allow yourselves
to be used to cause violence. Please eschew all forms of violence and
cooperate with all the relevant agencies during these elections. We will
vote according to Parties, but in the end, the only real Party is Nigeria,
our country. Our elections are important only to the extent that they make
her strong. Let us do our best and ask God to bless us and our country.
Thank you and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.