President Muhammadu Buhari, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), disclosed that there was the current danger of cyberspace now being utilized to manipulate elections and subvert the democratic rights of citizens.

Ostensibly, this explains his decision to decline assent on the amended Electoral Act last year which would have empowered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deploy electronic means to conduct the 2019 elections.

Buhari, therefore, called on world leaders to come up with proposals to create a digital world that is accessible, inclusive and safe to all.

The President said this in his keynote address at the 2019 Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) in Dubai, on Monday, April 9, 2019, stressing that a certain level of regulation was needed to preserve the integrity of the digital economy.

Buhari, in his speech at the summit with the theme ‘Mapping the Future of Foreign Direct Investment: Enriching World Economies through Digital Globalization,” stressed that the cyberspace was being used to subvert the democratic rights of citizens.

At the height of the face-off between the National Assembly and the Presidency owing to the executive arm’s determination to prosecute Senate President, Bukola Saraki for fraud and corruption, Buhari on three occasions declined assent to the Electoral Act amendment bill.

The National Assembly was unable to muster the required number of votes from the lawmakers to override the President’s veto.

The nation had to go into the elections with the severely flawed extant Electoral Act which gave rise to the unending legal issues that seriously marred the successful conduct of the polls.

Acknowledging that digital globalization is transforming the world almost every day with innovations and transformative ideas, the Nigerian leader cautioned that the cyber world would remain a constant threat if left unregulated.

He also lamented the steady rise in fake news and cybercrimes, particularly when platforms are hijacked and manipulated by criminals. President Buhari, therefore, called for collective efforts led by both public and private sector leaders to address the emerging threats of digital globalization.