The Presidency has sounded a note of warning to the All Progressives Congress candidates, APC, in states where supplementary polls would hold this weekend that President Muhammadu Buhari would not interfere with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The Presidency’s remark is said to be in reaction to the expectations of some APC leaders that the President would manipulate the electoral body in favour of the party.
A statement issued on Sunday by the President’s aide, Garba Shehu equally warned political leaders making inflammatory remarks capable of causing violence ahead of Saturday’s supplementary elections to desist from such acts immediately.
The statement read in part: “The Presidency also rejects unfair and ridiculous criticisms of President Muhammadu Buhari’s apparent disinterest in the upcoming elections in some states by party members who wrongfully assume that the President will abuse power by changing results to favour them.
“Past presidents of Nigeria were known to interfere in inconclusive elections, and that is why party members appear to be upset that the same thing is not happening now, but President Buhari is a different kind of leader. He swore to defend the constitution and will not veer off from that.
“The constitution of Nigeria gives the President no such powers. It is unfair and ridiculous to criticise President Buhari for not going against the constitution.
“Party members in states where there will be supplementary elections then need to be reminded that they need to work hard to earn their people’s votes, rather than expect President Buhari to manipulate INEC in their favour.
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“Interestingly, while members of the ruling APC were criticising the President for not interfering on their behalf, members of the opposition were condemning the President based on their assumptions that he would definitely interfere, as many in the opposition did while in power.
“Under President Buhari, INEC had been and will be completely independent throughout the elections and will be free from any interference.
“President Buhari is a man of conviction, and the manipulation of election results goes against everything he stands for; INEC is completely in charge.”
In a related development, the Next Edition gathered that there would be an emergency meeting between the electoral commission and the leadership of all security agencies on Tuesday, March 19.
The meeting is expected to focus on how to ensure the peaceful conduct of the supplementary elections fixed for March 23 with particular emphasis on the role of the military.
Recall that the March 9, elections had been characterised by large scale violence in parts of the country for which the military had been blamed.
Tuesday’s meeting would therefore afford INEC the opportunity to put the security agencies straight on the need to conduct themselves professionally and in a manner that will scuttle the intentions of the commission to conduct a free, fair and transparent election.
