Victor EzejaIn the build-up to the 2023 general elections in Nigeria, the immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to leave behind a legacy of strong democratic institutions and culture as he has pledged.
Dogara commended President Buhari for initiating the “radical reforms” of Nigeria’s electoral process, which has seen the deployment of technology, especially the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC IReV portal for real-time upload and display of election results from polling units on an election day.
He said the president would immortalise his name as a hero of Nigeria’s democracy if he follows through with the reforms of the nation’s electoral process.
Dogara who spoke at the 12th Convocation ceremony of the Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State on Saturday, urged Nigerians to key into the objective by ensuring that the reforms are implemented in the 2023 general elections for a free, fair and credible poll that would strengthen the nation’s democracy.
The former speaker who is also the Chancellor of the university said: “Permit me to commend President Muhammadu Buhari for ensuring radical reforms in the electoral process. I say this from my heart, especially with regards to the use of BVAS.
“If he follows it through, he will bequeath to us a legacy of a sustainable democratic process that has no parallels in Africa.
“I, therefore, say that President Buhari has a date with history and he can truly be the hero of our democracy if he ensures that our votes count in 2023.
“Thereafter, we can now beat our chest and say we have not only elected leaders in elections where our votes count, but we have elected leadership that we deserve. It is a challenge to all Nigerians to ensure that we carry through the reforms and follow them across to the finish line.
He further charged all Nigerians not to sell their votes or refuse to vote saying, “remember that the power is in your vote and your vote is your future. Therefore, don’t sell it and don’t keep it in your room, you must use it. Participate by coming out massively to vote for your conscience.”
It would be recalled that Dogara recently joined other northern political leaders to declare support for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 election.
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Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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