Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the United Nations,UN has asked the All Progressives Congress, APC and Nigeria to ensure that polls conducted are peaceful and accepted by all Nigerians.
While expressing optimism that Nigeria has the capacity to set a good example on the Continent, the UN acknowledged that Nigeria is currently faced with challenges with which it gave assurance to support.
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, SRSG, of the United Nations and Head of the UN Office for West and Sahel, Mr. Mahamat Saleh Annadif said this while visiting the leadership of APC at the Party’s National Secretariat on Monday in Abuja
He said, “We encourage good examples when we see them and we know that in Nigeria you have multiple challenges but I also know that Nigeria has a very great capacity in terms of resilience and I’m sure Nigerians will overcome the challenges. Thank you and we hope to come back to celebrate the outcome of the election.”
“As I like to say, when Nigeria sneezes, the entire region catches cold. So we like and hope that Nigeria stays in good health and be the locomotive for other regions and this is why we will expect the APC to support peaceful elections. Thank you very much for welcoming our delegation and we hope to come back to celebrate the peaceful elections.”
Annadif disclosed that “We met this morning with officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and we plan to meet with all the key actors in Nigeria with a very simple message. We will like to see the coming elections going peacefully and accepted in all parts of Nigerians. With the APC in power, you have a very important role to play. We would like to emphasize that the UN is with you and supporting you.
In his response while receiving the high level UN 8-member delegation the APC National Chairman, Senator. Abdullahi Adamu represented by the party’s Deputy National Chairman ,North, Sen. Abubakar Kyari.
Said “We recall your memorable visit to Nigeria last year that still resonates in the country particularly your meeting with His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR and other senior government officials.
“The Party calls for a concerted effort on the part of the UN and the rest of the international community to support the process of peace-building and reconstruction in Borno State and other parts of Nigeria that have been adversely affected by insurgency and other forms of unrest and insecurity.
“The Party also notes the work of the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General as encompassing various elements of the United Nations mandate more especially in areas such as achieving sustainable development in accordance with the principles of the Sustainable Development Goals or Agenda 2030. This is a critical vehicle towards the achievement of various other human development targets and goals including peace and security, addressing the impacts of climate change in Africa especially in the Sahel region and the Lake Chad Basin, advancing the rights of women and young people, combating desertification, and preventing illegal migration from West Africa to other parts of the world.
“The APC to assures the entire UN body through the SRSG that the APC is committed to the ideals of democratic governance and observance of rule of law in all its undertakings, and shall continue to apply them diligently while canvassing for votes and while it forms the next national government in 2023.
“APC is pleased to inform you of the progress made in Nigeria especially in the area of infrastructure development since the APC came into power in 2015. He should reaffirm the commitment of the Party to take Nigeria to higher levels of material and cultural development in the coming years particularly by the holistic implementation of the UN SDGs as well as the African Union Agenda 2063 and the AU Programme of Infrastructure Development, PIDA.
“The Party reiterates commitment of Nigeria to recharging of the Lake Chad as an urgent priority for the members of the Lake Chad Basin Commission LCBC, which includes Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. He should also reiterate Nigeria’s desire to reinforce the LCBC Multinational Joint Task Force, MNJTF, towards combatting terrorism and other forms of international crime across our common borders.”