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The founder of One Love Family, Satguru Maharaj Ji declared at the weekend that the sum of N242 billion being proposed by President Muhammadu Buhari to fund the 2019 general elections was not out of place.
Chiding critics of the president’s proposal, Maharaj Ji stated that no amount of money was too much to ensure free, fair and acceptable elections in Nigeria. He said those who hold negative views about the forthcoming polls would be surprised that the elections would hold without any hitches.
The spiritual leader spoke while addressing journalists on the state of the nation at a press conference held at Satguru Maharaj Ji village, Ibadan, on Friday.
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari has proposed the estimated sums of N242,445,322,600.00 as the total cost of the 2019 elections.
Criticisms followed the announcement with many saying the figure was outrageous but Maharaj Ji thinks that Nigerians should be more concerned about the results of the elections and not the money spent.
He said: “Seventy-three million registered voters in a country of over 180 million people like Nigeria that is giant of Africa, and 242 billion naira for the general elections in 2019. See, look at yourself, we are comfortable people, we are the giant of Africa, if the President want to use trillion of Naira for the elections, it is not too much, if the President is using billions for elections and security it is not too much, no amount is too much.
“What we need to do, we need to ask the INEC to explain to us what they want to use the money for. We are taking about underage voting, they want to eradicate that, then the votes will count.
“N242 billion is nothing, so long as the money spent on the elections will manifest.
Maharaj Ji charged Nigerians irrespective of their political or ethnic differences, to support the President Buhari administration and INEC to ensure that votes count in the 2019 elections.
“This is what we need to do. All of us, all Nigerians, Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Itsekiri, Ijaw, Fulani, all of us in Nigeria. We need to keep Nigeria as one. To keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done”, he streesed.