The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has described President Muhammadu Buhari as a real democrat after his admonition to politicians that the 2023 election should not be a do-or-die affair.
In a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, the group said that the President’s attitude to the forthcoming election is a sign of things to come.
“We are not surprised to hear President Buhari playing a statesman role in his non-partisan Democracy Day broadcast to the nation in which he had nice words for all the political parties.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the President could have zeroed in solely on the very successful Special Convention of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), but he opted to hail all the 18 registered political parties for conducting ‘peaceful and orderly primaries’ and the candidates for running issues-based campaigns
“And to crown it all, he provided an insight into his expectations from next year’s election by urging politicians not to see it as a do-or-die affair.
“This is not what many Nigerians are used to, especially as we have seen at least one past leader insisting that election on his watch will be a do-or-die affair,” it said.
BMO added: “We see the admonition also as a message to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies on where the President stands.
“So it is a confidence-building message from the President to all stakeholders ahead of the campaign season, as well as in the run-up to the 2023 election.”
The group also urged INEC to build on Buhari’s position by ensuring a free and fair process.
“Now that the President has again shown that he has no intention to interfere in the electoral process, just like in 2019, the onus is on the election management body to live up to public expectations.
“As much as the ruling party is one of 18 parties taking part in the election, we expect INEC to put structures in place to ensure a peaceful, transparent process.
“As for the politicians and their supporters, the least expected from them are issue-based campaigns, not campaigns targeted at exploiting the nation’s faultiness,” it said.
The group assured Nigerians that Buhari would keep his promise of leaving the country better than he met it when he was first sworn in in 2015.(NAN)
