The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, yesterday said President Muhammadu Buhari did not interfere with the recent governorship election imbroglio in Adamawa State as it is strictly the responsibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission to sort out the matter
According to him, it is not in Buhari’s character to micromanage government’s institutions.
Fielding questions from reporters after the FEC meeting, Mohammed said: “I don’t think that this government has ever intervened in the way the Independent National Electoral Commission conducts its elections.
“So, there’s no need for us to intervene. It was an entirely an INEC matter and INEC handled it.
“The chairman of INEC is in charge of all employees in INEC and he’s handling it. So, what do you want the government to do?”
Mohammed justified the reason he accused the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, of committing treason, saying that if his running mate had called for insurrection and he did not react, he was guilty as charged.
The minister said he went to the United States to balance what he called the skewed reports on the 2023 general elections, which he said was “the most transparent, freest and authentic ever held despite the effort of the opposition to delegitimize or discourage the election.”
The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, when asked a question on the government’s directive that the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Service proceed on retirement, said: “It is Greek to me.”