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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said he is not aware that anybody in the presidency was working against the interest of All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Mohammmed spoke in Abuja at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, on Wednesday.
The minister was responding to a journalist who asked him for comments over the claim made by the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, that some officials in the Presidency did not want Tinubu to win this month’s presidential election.
He said: “If there’s anybody working against a candidate, we don’t know officially.”
Mohammed added that President Muhammadu Buhari is not favouring any presidential candidate and is instead committed to a free and fair election.
“One thing I can assure you is that no matter what, this administration is focused, determined to ensure free and fair elections. But I think with this administration, the most important person is Mr President and I think he has shown by words and deeds that he is dedicated to free, fair and credible election.
“And fair, free, credible elections actually means not favouring anybody; not disadvantaging anybody. And everywhere he goes he makes that very clear even as recently as Friday when he was in Daura, he said the same thing,” the minister said.
Mohammed’s explanation appears to contradict previous statements by the presidency that Buhari was committed to supporting Tinubu and other APC candidates in the general elections.
El-Rufai had on Wednesday morning alleged that some officials in the presidency did not want Tinubu to win the presidential election.