The United Nations (UN) has been urged by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to continue supporting Nigeria’s electoral system and closely watch the 2023 General Elections to prevent any election-related fraud.
Umar Damagum, the interim chairman of the party, made the request on Tuesday in Abuja while meeting with a delegation of Special Representatives of the UN Secretary-General, who were accompanied by Ahmad Annadif, the head of the UN Office in West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS).
The conduct of the general elections in Nigeria in 2023 is important to the UN and the international community, according to Mr. Damagum, the party’s Deputy National Chairman (North).
He urged the UN to advise INEC to make sure the general elections in 2023 are transparent and credible.
“UN Development Organization is one of the organizations that ensures that things are done correctly, and as a result, it will have a significant impact on how the general elections in 2023 are conducted.
“To make sure INEC is actually an election umpire, we need your help.
“Many reforms have been implemented; they will be tested in the upcoming elections.
In the upcoming elections, he added, “We believe that with the passage of the new Electoral Act, such improvements would assuage some of our fears.”
Mr. Damagum said the nation could not afford any electoral violence and appreciated the UN for its interest in the peace and prosperity of Nigeria.
He expressed the wish that if the APC lost the general elections in 2023, it would follow the PDP’s example and concede defeat before peacefully transferring control.
“We hope that Nigeria will continue to be seen as one of the continent’s unifying forces so that we may continue to set an exemplary example.”
“We have been doing this since democracy arrived in 1999, and we’ll keep doing it.”
“As an opposition party, we’ll keep doing our part.
To make sure that things are done correctly, you must also keep doing your part.
Mr. Damagum added, “You can do that in advisory form or any other form in which you have been doing it.Taofeek Arapaja, the PDP’s deputy national chairman for the south, also spoke at the meeting and urged the UN to punish anyone who attempted to sabotage the general elections in Nigeria in 2023.
He pleaded with the UN to take seriously the issues of vote-buying and the behavior of security personnel during the general elections in 2023.
Vote-buying, according to Mr. Arapaja, was a defining feature of the recently held governorship election in Ekiti State. He continued by saying that voters ought to be given the freedom to choose freely in elections without receiving financial incentives.
According to Mr. Arapaga, “We do not want a situation where people cannot modify the circumstances they do not like.”
Debo Ologunagba, the party’s national publicity secretary, asked the UN to pay close attention to Nigeria’s peace as the general elections in 2023 draw near in his remarks.
Mr. Ologunagba pleaded with the UN to cooperate with the nation to prevent any electoral violence from being reported during the general elections in 2023.
Given Nigeria’s enormous population, he claimed that any electoral violence that would cause a large exodus of Nigerians to neighboring West African and Sahel countries would have profound implications on all of the sub-nations. region’s
Mr. Annadif stated during his statements that they were in Nigeria on an official visit.
“As you are all aware, Nigeria plays a significant part in the stability and growth of Africa and the Sahel.
There are security issues in the sub-region, as you are aware, and we will hold general elections in 2023.
In West Africa and the Sahel region, Nigeria plays a stabilizing role.
Nigeria is a concern to us because of this.
We have had meetings with influential figures in Nigerian politics.
In Nigeria, we’ve met with the INEC, CSOs, IPAC APC, and diplomatic corps.
The UN and all other international organizations wish Nigeria luck in holding a fair election that promotes regional stability.
This is why we are doing this re-election need assessment visit to see how we can contribute to the peaceful and credible elections in Nigeria,” he said.
