*Commends Buhari, INEC on conduct, decries voters apathy
By Clifford Ndujihe
A 2023 Presidential Aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Dr. Ibrahim Bello Dauda, has decried the poor performance of the APC in Saturday’s council polls in Abuja and urged the party to learn from its mistakes ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Dauda, who noted that the APC did not approach the Abuja poll as united house, however, commended President Muhammadu Buhari and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the fair and peaceful conduct of the council elections in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja
Dauda, however, lamented the low voter turnout.
He, also, congratulated the winners in the elections, saying that they must regard their victory as a call to serve their constituents
The main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had the upper hand in the poll winning three of the six Area councils and 44 councillorship seats. The APC won three councils and 18 councillorship slots.
In a statement by the Media Directorate of his El Dabi 2023 Presidential Campaign, Dauda said the results showed that both INEC and Buhari were supremely committed to guaranteeing the sanctity of elections in the country.
According to the 49-year-old businessman-academic, the President demonstrated a resolve not to interfere with electoral outcomes as well as a robust commitment to allowing the will of Nigerians to prevail at the polls
The fact that the President’s party did not score a landslide victory in the Abuja elections is a very good signal for our democracy,” Dauda said.
Nigerians can go to sleep, knowing that, like the case of Edo State, future elections in this country will not be tampered with just to please the ruling party. Gradually President Buhari and this administration in INEC are showing a determination to let votes count and leave behind a legacy of free, fair and credible elections.”
However, Dauda said APC members must let the elections teach them about the need to close ranks and approach public polls as one house.
Dauda, who recently threw his hat into the ring to compete for the presidency under APC, is an Accountant and Administrator, who holds a doctorate degree in Business Administration from the Cornerstone University in Israel.
From the Kanuri stock in Gora town, Shani Local Government Area of Borno State, Dauda was born in Jos North area of Plateau State on June 3, 1972.
He, however, bemoaned the fact that the FCT Area council polls in Abuja at the weekend recorded a voter turnout of about 10 percent.
Speaking on the sparse voter turnout, he said: “The 10 percent voters who turned out to vote are most likely the traders, farmers and artisans. The 90 percent who refused to vote represents the educated ones, only spending their time on social media identifying all the problems in Nigeria. However, when the election threw up the opportunity to be part of the solution, they were nowhere to be found. Is this how we want Nigeria to change?”
“If truth be told, we the ruling APC underperformed on Saturday,” he submitted. “It means that we must learn from the age-old maxim of: United We Stand, Divided We Fall. Simply put, APC at that local level failed to approach the elections with one heart and one house. And that is a lesson for the bigger house for future and bigger electoral stakes
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