The Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, says any electoral victory obtained through means other than the legitimate votes of the people was nothing short of a coup d’état.
Tambuwal said the Edo State Governorship Election scheduled to hold on Saturday as well as the Ondo State governorship election scheduled for October 10, were test cases of our preparedness for a rule-based and consent-enabled governance.
The United Nations General Assembly in 2017 resolved to observe 15 September of every year as the International Day of Democracy—with the purpose of promoting and upholding the principles of democracy—and invited all member states and organizations to commemorate the day in an appropriate manner that contributes to raising public awareness.
He said to mark this day in Nigeria, it was important to note that the struggle for Democracy has involved sweat, blood, diplomacy, compromises, and negotiations.
He stressed that that governmental authority must be obtained only through the will of the people.
The governor appealed to the National Assembly to immediately conclude the long-overdue amendments to the Electoral Act to entrench provisions that make it impossible for rigging and manipulation of elections taking into cognizance our recent experiences.
While making a case for electronic voting, Tambuwal said provisions should be made for a test run before the 2023 general elections.
