The presidency has said that the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufa’i spoke in defense of national interest, adding that there is nothing more to sneeze at.
The presidency was reacting to the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai’s threat that foreign powers planning to interfere in Nigeria’s elections will “leave Nigeria in body bags.”
The governor, had in a live interview on NTA, said “Those that are calling for anyone to come and intervene in Nigeria, we are waiting for the person that would come and intervene, they would go back in body bags.”
Presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu said: “We have taken note of the clarification to a reported earlier statement by the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufa’i concerning opposition call for foreign interference in our domestic affairs and to say that latest statement by him should rest the issue for good. There is nothing more to sneeze at.
” The Governor spoke strongly in defense of national interest. It is clear that El-Rufa’i, our party the APC and all its candidates have reposed their faith in democracy through general elections. They are all of the view that there is no place for violence against local people or foreign citizens in our midst.
“Opposition PDP ought to own up to the mistakes of their own policies for 16 years which have led the country to a sorry pass that has cost lives, jobs and growth instead of dwelling on diversionary issues.”
The spokesman added that the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari would cooperate with election observers and would not let the international community down in the conduct of the coming elections.
The Presidency assured Nigerians and the international community that the President would do everything within his power to ensure free, fair and credible elections in the country.
Meanwhile the European Union Election Observation Missions (EU-EOM) said it does not interfere in the electoral process of any country.
The EU observer mission, in a statement issued on Wednesday by its Press and Public Outreach Officer, Sarah Fradgley, said the EU only deploys election observers when it is invited to do so by the authorities of a country.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has threatened to pull out of the 2019 presidential peace pact signed in the last quota of last year under the watch of the Abdulsalami Abubakar National Peace Committee.
The PDP also called on international authorities to impose travel ban on Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State for allegedly saying on a national television that members of the international community working for a peaceful election in Nigeria would return to their countries in body bags.
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