 Annick has shifted the 2023 presidential election from February 18 to February 25, 2023. This is following the late signing of the Electoral Act by President Mohamed al-Buhari. This was announced by the Chairman of the Commission Professor Mahmoud Yacobo at a news conference in Abuja on Saturday. It said the presidential and National Assembly elections will now be held on Saturday, February 25, 2023. The governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will be held on March 11, 2023. Yacobo explained that the new date is to allow for conformity with the provisions of the electoral laws, which stipulate that elections and notices were published at least 260 days to the elections. He also said the electoral guidelines will also be published in the course. And I've been joined by Mr. Mohamed Buhari, who is a spokesman for presidential aspirant studied at IMPIOS IIM. Mr. Buhari, good evening. Good evening. It's good to be here. How are you doing today? I'm very well. Thank you. How are you too? I'm good. Thank you for joining us on our primetime news. Now, you heard that story and, well, maybe I should say congratulations to you. Congratulations to Nigerians on the signing of the electoral act by the president. Congratulations to everyone. So now the elections dates have been shifted from the presidential and the National Assembly elections will no longer be held on February 18, but February 25. So how do you think AIRAC is coping with this electoral act? First of all, I agree with you. We need to congratulate ourselves. I'm glad that we were all working towards ensuring that this happens. The collective pressure from Nigerians across the country and those living abroad has actually pushed the president to sign in this bill. Even though he today was going to sign the bill, I'm glad that the pressures that came from all of us together has made him sign this bill. Though there are still lots of areas that would want to see happen, I believe the infrastructure for that to happen will come in future. In the meantime, we're going to work with what we have and I'm sure this is a process to us in our democracy. What areas are you looking at? Because I was particularly excited about the disability clause in the electoral act. I was particularly excited about that. Even those who cannot see can be added at the polling booth. Those who cannot hear can be added with communication gadgets and all that. So what areas? What other areas are you looking at? So there's going to be electronic transmission of result wherever the infrastructure exists because again that is very important that we note. A lot of people have been calling for running how to run this space the way we run some other clients but we must always remember that we do have our certain challenges that would undermine our ability to meet up with all of those kinds of delivery of this kind of processes. I would like to see how we can start voting online. I would like to see how we can vote on the corners of our houses. I would like to see that INEGEN rates a kind of code that will be unique to an individual and with that code you can actually vote from anywhere in the world as long as you're in Nigeria. These things would have to happen. I would also be interested in seeing that just because I registered in Lagos, I'm not necessarily mandated to vote in Lagos. I can't vote anywhere in the country. Wherever the individual catches me or finds me, I do not have to start thinking of running back to my original place of registration to go and cast my votes. These are the kind of things that we would also like to see reintroduced into the act and see how it can accommodate all of us moving forward. Okay now it closed I mean very controversial was the one that says okay those in office those in electoral offices cannot be voted for and all that you know that when the president said okay remove this close before I sign it. How is your principal reacting to that Senator Ayan Pai Ayan? Senator Ayan Pai Ayan was one of the first people that issued a statement congrats to late in Nigeria's and also thank him as the president for you know ascending to this act to this bill because we all know that this has given us a stronger position to beat the APC at the polls. We had a question in my mind is that this would have eradicated some of those lacunas that have been lingering in our space. I'm glad that this has been addressed and I'm also I'm still not very clear as to how soon or at what point those serving with the administration are expected to resign as soon as they as as long as as soon as they making up their minds to contest whenever they went whenever they have decided oh this I'm going to be protesting let us know exactly at what point in time the bill or the act clearly states where they are their resignation from office because that would actually give a level playing field for everybody they will not be having any upper hand because we know how it works and how it happens people have access to police people have access to security personnel people have access to even government funds and the collective resources of the people to use for their own personal individual campaigns okay now sorry sorry to cut it there sorry to cut it there because I know you can keep going on and on and on now you could be the interviewers the light any day any time that's okay but your principle has been in had been in government for quite a while for quite a long time since his youth became senate president at 39 I recall now what else is it bringing this time he's bringing his experience is bringing a wealth experience he was not a senate president at 39 he goes into the senate at 37 he still became the SGF the secretary to the government of the Federation on the president will have Jonathan's administration he is one politician that has been around the corners of you know responsibility and how you expect it to be given to the system being the secretary to the government of the Federation you know it's like you're controlling the entire civil service and at the time you could tell how the government was fairing we were reporting the highest GDP we were reporting some high numbers with the economy we're reporting some high numbers with our foreign direct investments all of that seems to have vanished now so when you look at that times you would you want to ask who was the man in the middle of everything and obviously the secretary to the government of the Federation runs all of those affairs he's the angel of the government we must recognize the fact that that's where he was functioning from and some of those positives were actually happening in the government but I think what is even more crucial here is that after he finished at the senate president he mean he had a chance to recontest but he said I've reached the peak of the National Assembly why would I be recontest then he stepped aside and allowed other people to contact for somebody else to contest in his consistency for the office of this Senate so I think I think it's a look into this individual I think it's important we understand that that's quite cool power does not really linger in his mind at a time like this we are really clamoring for the southeast to produce a president and that is why he is awakened himself say I'm going to be available to represent the southeast so that I can have a chance to prepare myself I feel for Nigerians a president okay one last question if you answer this in less than 30 seconds out the glad now unemployment poverty insecurity and the like which ones or which one would your principle tackle first if you had if it was given the opportunity to rule this country I think everything that you've just mentioned has a problem right now in the country but the biggest problem we are facing in the country is leadership we need somebody at the center that's going to study I feel that all of these arms of our daily social activities to ensure that we have a country that is working for all of us thank you very much Mr. Ahmed Buhari for joining us on our prime-time news we sure didn't have enough time hopefully we'll get you back sometime soon to talk more and pressing issues like this thank you hello hope you enjoyed the news please do subscribe to our YouTube channel and don't forget to hit the notification button so you get notified about fresh news updates