President Muhammadu Buhari does not favor any presidential candidate and is instead committed to free and fair elections, Information Minister Lai Mohammed said on Wednesday.
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 of the State of Kaduna Governor, Nasir El-Rufaithat some officials of the Presidency did not want Bola Tinubu, the candidate of the ruling party, to win the presidential elections this month.
“One thing I can assure you is that whatever happens, this administration is focused, determined to ensure free and fair elections. But I think that with this administration the most important person is the president and I think that he has shown in words and deeds that he is dedicated to free, fair and credible elections,” he said.
“And fair, free and credible elections really means favoring no one, hurting no one. And wherever he goes he makes it very clear, even on Friday when he was in Daura he said the same thing ”.
Mr. Mohammed’s explanation appears to contradict earlier statements by the presidency that Mr. Buhari pledged to support Mr. Tinubu and other APC candidates in the general election.
On Wednesday, Mohammed added that he was not aware that someone in the presidency was working against Tinubu’s interests.
“If there is someone working against a candidate, we don’t know officially,” Mohammed said.
PREMIUM TIMES reported Mr. El-Rufai’s statement on Wednesday morning that some presidential officials did not want Mr. Tinubu to win the presidential election.
Details later…
