Nigeria’s minister of information, Lai Mohammed, has replied to Kaduna state governor Nasir El-Rufai’s allegations that members of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration are working against the emergence of the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Mohammed spoke in Abuja at the end of the Federal Executive Council meeting.
The minister was responding to a journalist who asked him to respond to the claim by the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, that some officials at the Presidency did not want Bola Tinubu, the candidate of the ruling party, to win this month’s presidential election.
“One thing I can assure you is that no matter what, this administration is focused, determined to ensure free and fair elections. But I think with this administration the most important person is Mr President and I think he has shown by words and indeed that he is dedicated to free, fair and credible election,” he said.
“And fair, free, credible elections actually means not favouring anybody, not ‘disadvantaging’ anybody. And everywhere he goes he makes that very clear even as recently as Friday when he was in Daura, he said the same thing.”
Mr Mohammed’s explanation appears to contradict previous statements by the presidency that Mr Buhari was committed to supporting Mr Tinubu and other APC candidates in the general elections.
On Wednesday, Mr Mohammed added that he is not aware that anybody in the presidency was working against Mr Tinubu’s interest.
“If there’s anybody working against a candidate, we don’t know officially,” Mr Mohammed said.
