The Federal Government has expressed its support for the call by the United States and the United Kingdom that Nigeria ensures credible and peaceful elections. The call came with threats to sanction election riggers and perpetrators of electoral violence.
The minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, made this known in Ilorin yesterday. Mohammed noted that the federal government was particularly delighted that the statements warning came after it alerted Nigerians schemes of some opposition elements “ working to scuttle the 2019 polls through widespread violence.”
According to him, the plan was to “scuttle the election and then push for an interim government, having realized they can’t win a free, fair, credible and peaceful elections.”
He added: “The fact that those statements came after we issued our red alert, which is based on credible intelligence, shows that the international community is closely monitoring events ahead of the election. We urge them to keep a close tab on the desperate opposition, whose language, actions and undisguised threats are antithetical to the conduct of peaceful polls.’’
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Mohammed added that Nigerians and the international community can count on President Buhari to ensure a credible and violence-free election.
He explained that the APC-led administration was confident of the victory in the forthcoming elections, and thus, have no reason to engage in election rigging.
Mohammed further urged the international community to keep a close eye on those who are crafting dubious strategy of scuttling the polls than campaigning to win in a free, fair, transparent and peaceful election.
‘’As their campaign flounders and their strategies collapse, they have resorted to seeking power by subterfuge. That’s why they are doing everything possible to discredit an election that has yet to be held by unleashing their attack dogs on the INEC, the police and the entire electoral process.
‘’On our part, we have confidence in the electoral process and the institutions saddled with organizing and securing the election. That’s why we have been busy campaigning vigorously across the country, attracting unprecedented, organic crowds everywhere we go,” he said.