Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, says the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari will do everything possible to ensure free, fair and credible 2023 general elections.
He noted recent elections had shown that the President is committed to a transparent democratic process.
Responding to calls for President Buhari to withdraw the names of some embattled nominees for Resident Electoral Commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission, said to be members of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).
According to him, the President will not withdraw the names based on “social media trials,” urging Nigerians to allow the process to take its course, including the imminent screening of the REC nominees by the National Assembly.
In July, President Buhari sent the names of 19 INEC REC nominees to the Senate for confirmation.
Of the 19, five were re-appointed for a second five-year term, while 14 others were new appointees.
Nigerians have criticised the nomination of some individuals believed to be card-carrying governing party members.
A coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) noted that the nominee from Sokoto State, Northwestern Nigeria, was an APC governorship aspirant in 2015.
While they alleged another Enugu State nominee to be a younger sister of the APC Deputy National Chairman, Emma Eneukwu.
Similarly, the CSOs alleged that the nominee for Imo State, Mrs. Pauline Ugochi, a former Head of ICT at INEC in Imo, is known for conniving with other politicians to undermine elections.
In contrast, the nominee for Ebonyi State, Mrs. Queen Agwu, was suspended on allegations of incompetence and corruption in 2016.
The CSOs called for their immediate removal from the list, premising their argument on Section 14(2a) of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution as amended, which states that “a member of the commission shall be non-partisan and a person of unquestionable integrity.”
Section 14 (3b) of the same Schedule states that “there shall be for each state of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja, a Resident Electoral Commissioner who shall be a person of unquestionable integrity and shall not be a member of any political party.”
But responding, the minister said, “As to the nominees that are being challenged by social media warriors and by some critics, I don’t think it is the President’s business to throw the nominee immediately based on allegations which have not been proven.
“I think these people will go for confirmation in the National Assembly; They will ask the same questions raised in the public domain.
“I think this media trial is quite problematic. Because even when these people are cleared of wrongdoings, nobody comes back to apologise.
“So, my advice is, yes, there’ll be allegations against anybody. It does not mean that fellow is guilty. Let’s wait for the process to be completed.”
Meanwhile, the Information Minister has distanced the country’s government from the arrest of the lead negotiator between the terrorists and passengers kidnapped from the attacked Abuja-Kaduna train, Tukur Mamu, by the Egyptian police on Wednesday.
The minister responded to questions from State House Correspondents at the end of the annual meeting of the Executive Council of the federal government on Wednesday.
He said: “This story broke while we were in Council, then we’re going to unbreak it when we leave Council.
“On a more serious note, I’m saying that if a story broke while we were in Council, there’s no way I can give you any development on it, but please let me find out, and you ask again.
“Secondly, what is the proof, what is the evidence that the federal government ordered it, but as I said, it will be unfair to expect me to react to a story that broke while I was in Council.”
The information and Culture Minister also allayed Nigerians’ fears about the fuel scarcity issue, which has resurfaced in some parts of Abuja, saying the government was already responding to the issue.
S.O
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