Presidency Reacts To Endorsement Of 2019 Elections By 60 Parties
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The Presidency has reacted to the endorsement of the 2019 presidential elections by 60 presidential candidates and chairmen of their parties.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President, Garba Shehu, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said the presidential candidates have displayed a sense of patriotism, urging the opposition party to accept the loss with grace and maturity.
“We are encouraged by the patriotism of the Presidential Candidates expressed in clear and matured language. We are convinced that regardless of our different political persuasions we can work together to improve electoral integrity in Nigeria,’’ Shehu said.
While agreeing with the Joint Forum that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) experienced setbacks from the beginning, the presidential spokesman, however, commended the electoral body for the smooth conduct of the exercise.
Shehu believes that “INEC managed to produce an election in which the voice of the ordinary people counted. Democracy is founded on the will of the people and INEC did well to ensure this outcome was achieved in the 2019 elections.’’
READ ALSO: 60 Political Parties Pass Vote Of Confidence On INEC, Describe 2019 Poll As Credible
Speaking on the attitude of politicians during elections, the presidency stated that “do-or-die politics is a threat to the success of electoral laws and democracy.”
According to the presidential aide, “the success of democracy does not only depend on electoral laws but a member of the joint forum of the 60 political parties and chairmen of parties that the President will not spare any effort in signing the Electoral Act into law after looking into it.”
The presidency’s reaction comes hours after G-60 Forum) had passed a vote of confidence on INEC’s conduct of the 2019 general elections across the country.
Chairman of the G-60 Forum, Shittu Muhammed, said in a press conference on Tuesday that INEC’s server controversy was a deliberate ploy to destroy the integrity of our electoral process.