• Says outcome of 2023 polls shows anybody can be booted out
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhri has called on state governors to deliver on their campaign promises or face rejection by the electorate.
He said the outcome of the 2023 general elections has shown that if a political office holder doesn’t perform after being elected, the people will vote him out in the subseqquent election.
Buhari spoke at the opening of the 2023 induction for re-elected and elected governors at the State House Conference Center, Abuja.
Represented by his Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, the President said one interesting development from the just concluded general elections is the maturity of the electorate in using their votes to decide who they want.
“Any public officer who fails to either meet up with the expectations of the people or deliver on his campaign promises would be voted out in the next election. That is what democracy is about; deliver or get shown the door out,” he said.
The president claimed his administration which ends in two weeks, has made steady progress for the prosperity of Nigeria since it took office in 2015.
“The road has been bumpy due to a challenging fiscal climate, but I am proud to state as we leave office in about two weeks that we have built a firm foundation for a prosperous Nigeria. We could not have done everything, but we focused on a number of areas: infrastructure, agriculture and strengthening our armed forces. Despite the difficult fiscal conditions, we remained committed to our promises. These key areas were strategically targeted. Our focus on Infrastructure was to improve access to markets, improved linkages and to reduce overall supply chain costs. This singular commitment to infrastructure development for roads, rails, airports, ports and affordable housing were designed to create better means of livelihood for our people and facilitate access to jobs. I am happy that we are succeeding in investing the nation’s wealth in every state of the federation and a clear path for sustainable development has been set.”
Buhari enjoined the Forum to promote ideals that would address the challenges of democracy and governance in the country.
In his address on Task of Nation Building, Chairman Tony Elemelu Foundation, Tony Elemelu urged the newly elected and returning governors to prioritise youth participation, noting that it is the most effective way to make a difference and spur socioeconomic improvement in both their specific states and Nigeria as a whole.
He called on political leaders to create more private sector friendly policies to increase wealth creation and encourage entrepreneurship.