Buhari cautions foreign nations to stay away from Nigeria’s 2023 elections

President Muhammadu Buhari has told foreign governments and their officials not to mess with the upcoming elections in the country.

The presidential election on February 25 is only 45 days away when the warning is issued.

Buhari said the nation is collaborating with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to put an end to coups while accepting letters of credence from the ambassadors of Switzerland, Sweden, the Republic of Ireland, the Kingdom of Thailand, the Republic of Senegal, and the Republic of South Sudan on Thursday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

In a statement, the president’s special adviser on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, said that the president had said that Nigeria and ECOWAS were working closely together to deal with regional instability in West Africa and come up with policies to stop a wave of illegal changes to the government.

“As you watch the campaign for the elections and the general elections themselves, I implore you to follow diplomatic protocol to ensure that your actions stay within the bounds of your profession.”

As you move around our country, Buhari told you, “I hope you all do well in your different jobs, but I also want you to take some time to enjoy the unique nature and culture you have access to.”

President Buhari has invited friendly countries to help “solve the problem of insecurity, fight corruption, diversify the economy, and support our efforts to promote good governance.”

He assured the ambassadors that Nigeria unquestionably enjoyed highly friendly and mutually advantageous bilateral relations and collaboration with each of their different nations, and he praised the contributions made by their forebears, who had worked diligently and resolutely to advance these objectives.

“I am thus confident that your nominations are clearly intended to build on the victories of your direct predecessors in order to develop our ties to major and admirable heights,” the speaker continued.

“As you begin to focus on your diplomatic duties, I’m hoping you’ll recognise the political, socioeconomic, and cultural diversity that defines the Nigerian nation.”

“I urge you to make friends and spend time socialising all across the nation, interacting with the public and business sectors in an effort to identify areas of mutual benefit to your respective nations and Nigeria.

“We and international investors alike are particularly interested in sectors including healthcare, education, infrastructure, local manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, agribusiness, transportation, and solid minerals.”

This will allow us to work together to try and revive the economies of all our nations throughout the post-pandemic global recovery processes.

Buhari thanked each country for supporting his administration’s efforts to fight threats to security like kidnapping, banditry, terrorism, drugs, and human trafficking, as well as threats from environmental problems caused by climate change in the Lake Chad Region. However, he said that the things that cause these threats are beyond the control of any one country.

He said that because security concerns now affect the whole world, there was a chance for all countries to work together on bilateral and multilateral platforms to find a way to solve them that would work for everyone.

The Swiss Ambassador told the President of Nigeria, on behalf of his colleagues, that they would do “their jobs as Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary with dedication, to the best of their knowledge and belief, and for the mutual good of our countries.”

The Ambassadors said they hoped for peaceful, fair, and free elections in Nigeria and for the rest of the president’s term.