The Presidency has welcomed with reservations, the joint report of the International Republic Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) on the 2019 general elections in Nigeria and recommendations for the 2023 general elections.
Garba Shehu, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity said that it was instructive that President Buhari clearly won this vote and the report in no way disputes that fundamental fact that the Buhari won by almost 4 million majority, with a 14 per cent margin.
He added that the 2019 election results reflected the will of the people which in our circumstances was acknowledged to have been a success by ECOWAS Observer Mission and YIAGA AFRICA.
Shehu noted the nation had developed a tradition of improvements in its electoral process through enforcement of the electoral law which resulted in the prosecution and conviction of electoral officers that were found wanting in compromising the electoral process.
Shehu also described as ‘amazing’ that the electoral observers recommended that electoral laws were enforced, and perpetrators of crimes punished.
The presidential aide stated that government intended to build on the innovations of the election that would facilitate inclusiveness and participation by providing braille for blind people to cast their votes among other innovations.
(NAN)