Crucial 2023 Message from Portugal: Buhari Reveals What He'll Do During General Elections

• Nigeria's electoral umpire, INEC, will get a free hand to conduct very free and credible general elections come 2023
• This was the assuring message from President Muhammadu Buhari who spoke in Lisbon, Portugal, on Wednesday, June 29
• The president added that his administration will not in any way interfere with the conduct of the elections

Lisbon, Portugal - President Muhammadu Buhari has said that he will remain neutral during the 2023 general elections.

The president who spoke from Lisbon, Portugal's capital, on Wednesday, June 29, said he will give the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) a free hand to conduct credible and fair elections, The Nation reports.

Buhari said this in the company of representatives of Nigerians living in Portugal whom he met as part of his assignment in the foreign nation.

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He noted that since the presidential primaries across political parties are over, the general focus is now on the forthcoming elections.

He said:

‘‘We also look forward to a smooth transition to the next government. As I have said before, our Administration will not compromise on doing the right things and the welfare of Nigerians, home and abroad."

Using the governorship elections in Ekiti and Anambra, the president noted that his administration has proven consistently its zero tolerance for interference at polls and insistence that Nigerians should be allowed to vote for their preferred parties and candidates.

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Earlier, President Buhari will on Tuesday, June 28, jet out to the capital of Portugal, Lisbon, on a four-day state visit.

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While in Lisbon, President Buhari is expected to hold talks with his Portuguese counterpart, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

The Nigerian leader was to be conferred with Portugal's national honour and decorated with the ‘Great Collar of the Order of Prince Henry.’

As contained in a statement released by a presidential media aide, Garba Shehu, Buhari, and Sousa will co-chair a bilateral meeting and witness the signing of some agreements bordering on issues of mutual concern.

Added to this, President Buhari was to visit the Portuguese Parliament and meet with its president, Dr Augusto Santo Silva, as well as the Prime Minister of Portugal, Antonio Costa.

Even more, the president is scheduled to address a Forum of Nigerian and Portuguese businessmen.

Source: Legit.ng