- Lai Mohammed, has revealed that he didn't follow the recently conducted gubernatorial election in Anambra
- He said President Buhari allowed the people of Anambra to make their decision and therefore could do little or nothing to stop people from buying votes
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, in a recent interview said President Muhammadu Buhari couldn't do much to stop people from allegedly buying and selling their votes at the recently concluded governorship election in Anambra state.
The minister, who said he did not follow the election in Anambra, said the president has delivered on his promise to let the people make their decision and therefore can't do much in stop votes buying, Vanguard reports.
He said: "Frankly speaking, I didn’t follow the Anambra election, so, I cannot really talk about vote buying or ballot snatching. What I know that I can speak on is that number one, the Muhammadu Buhari administration provided a level playing field for all, and he showed that from the manner he restored the security aides of Governor Obiano.
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"For whatever reason, the Inspector- General of Police (IGP) felt that going by experience; it will not be proper to leave the security aides, so, he posted out the Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to the governor and some other key security officials. But the president felt that it is not enough, to be honest, you must also appear honest and whatever the reasons the IGP might have, that it is about perception.
"He said that the right thing to do is to restore the governor’s aides and design a manner to ensure that nobody will abuse his position. This had never happened in the history of Nigeria. I know that the practice before was that a few days before election, Commissioners of police would be posted out even some times, INEC officials or DG SSS will be posted out.
"But for Mr. President, the message is clear: Let the people make their decisions. If the people now decide to sell their votes, there is nothing the government at the centre can do but we will continue to drum it and let them understand that that vote is the single most powerful weapon they have and once they sell it, they can’t come round again until the next four years to complain about the kind of leaders they have.
"But what I believe is that for us in APC as a government, we want the people of Nigeria to decide the outcome of every election. It is not about who is at the centre, but we did not follow the temptation to use our muscle. It was quite tempting, but we felt it is only fair for the people to decide their own fate."
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Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that the Anambra state governor, Willie Obiano, has stated that any commissioner, special adviser or civil servant found to be involved in any fraudulent act, would be immediately dismissed.
Obiano made his comments at a meeting in Awka, the state capital.
The governor stated that in his second term, it would no longer be business as usual, and urged all public servants in Anambra to be committed and serious, as they carry out their duties.
Special report on Anambra governorship election - on NAIJ.com TV:
Source: Naija.ng