The 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections, according to Catriona Laing, the outgoing British High Commissioner in Nigeria, will be exciting and assure future democratic rule in the nation.
The results of the polls, which were taken on February 25, 2023, showed that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the All Progressive Congress had won with 8.8 million votes cast and the necessary number of ballots cast across two-thirds of Nigeria’s states.
Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, who placed second and third in the hotly contested election, were beaten by Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, who was declared the winner of the election by the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, in the early hours of Wednesday, March 1st.
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One of Tinubu’s opponents filed a judicial appeal, and the other referred to the election results as “a rape of democracy.” The two main contenders who lost in Nigeria’s election on Thursday contested Tinubu’s victory.
Nonetheless, the British envoy stated that despite opposition to the election process from some political actors, it was exciting and portended a bright future for the nation on Tuesday when fielding questions that have a courtesy call on the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan.
In essence, during her stay in Nigeria, she made some great pals. She is a huge fan of Nigerian music. The culture here is quite rich, and Nigerian politics are fascinating.
She stayed till the most recent election and finished with this one, and Nigeria’s democratic development has pleased her greatly.
“Sure, there has been a slight setback, but overall I consider this as great and Nigeria should be proud, but with a spectacular difference when I came in 2019,” the speaker said.
“Nigeria is the largest democracy in Africa,” she continued. The world keeps tabs on your transition to democracy.
Although the most recent election had some setbacks, overall, Nigerians can be proud because the country has been progressing toward participatory democracy since 1999.
“This election is highly unique and exciting as we transition to a three- or even four-party system. I believe that Nigerians should also be aware that their votes matter, she continued.”
In addition to the election, the British envoy praised Nigerians for their perseverance in the face of adversity.
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There have been some difficult periods, she said. Since I’ve been here, security has increased significantly. We had COVID-19. The people of Nigeria are amazingly strong. On Nigeria’s future, I continue to be quite hopeful. It’s been a beautiful tour, so it’s terrible to end it.
Previously, during the courtesy visit, former Senate President Lawan praised the British envoy for her friendly demeanor toward the nation in his remarks.
She was given the responsibility of aiding in fostering bilateral ties between Nigeria and Britain.
In conclusion, “We feel that high-rated diplomats like you may help to foster and deepen the tradition. Nigeria and Britain have come a long way via highly warm and diplomatic relations over the years. He sent her his best wishes for her upcoming endeavors.
Source: PunchÂ
