2023 Polls: No Post-Election Violence Despite ‘Fractured’ Outcome, Says CDD
The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) on Monday said despite earlier predictions that violence would trail the conduct of the 2023 general polls, the exercise was held smoothly.
Nigerians went to the polls on February 25 to elect a new president and members of the National Assembly. Three weeks after, they returned to elect governors as well as members of the State House of Assembly.
Speaking during the 2023 Democracy Day, the CDD Director, Idayat Hassan, said Nigerians should celebrate the peaceful conduct of the political class as well as citizens after the elections were concluded.
According to Hassan, there were fears that the 2023 polls would turn out to be Nigeria’s most violent polls.
The CDD boss also commended political gladiators, especially those aggrieved by the outcome, for choosing the path of peace by seeking redress in court.
“As a country, we should actually celebrate that this election did not end in violence as projected by many. There were beliefs that this would actually be the most violent election that would ever be conducted in the history of this country,” she said.
“We did not encounter any form of post-election violence, irrespective of the fractured nature of the elections. Even all these gladiators headed to the court and not the streets which tells us that, indeed, democracy is actually maturing in this country.”
Hassan also spoke on the cases before the Elections Petitions Tribunal, expressing hope that the aggrieved parties would get justice and a fair hearing.
During the interview, she charged the new administration of President Bola Tinubu to carry everyone along, regardless of ethnic and political differences.
