President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday said nobody should campaign for a third term for him as he vowed not stay in office as President beyond May 29, 2023.
The President has also warned those campaigning for tenure extension for him to desist from such a dangerous journey, saying that he would abide by the constitution he swore to uphold.
This is as he has given tacit support to efforts to increase the role of technology in the nation’s elections.
His expression of support to increase the role of technology in elections came on the heels of the clamor for electronic transmission of results by many Nigerians to make the process credible.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had told the National Assembly and indeed Nigerians that the commission can transmit election results electronically.
A statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, quoted the President as saying, “I swore by the Holy Qur’an that I will serve by the constitution and leave when my time is up.
“No Tazarce (tenure extension). I don’t want anybody to start talking about and campaigning for an unconstitutional extension. I will not accept that.”
According to the statement, President Buhari made the vow at a meeting in Makkah with a select group of Nigerians resident in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where he just ended a visit.
Besides the tenure extension issue, the statement further said that the President “tacitly expressed support to efforts to increase the role of technology in the nation’s elections.
“He argued that the introduction of the card reader and electronic register was God’s answer to his prayers, having been cheated of his victory in three previous elections.”
The President said, “After the third so-called defeat, I said, ‘God Dey’. My opponents laughed at me but God answered my prayers by bringing in technology.