The federal government has dismissed claims by Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, that some fifth columnists in the presidential villa are working against the success of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, in the forthcoming presidential election.
It said President Muhammadu Buhari will not deviate from his commitment to ensuring the conduct of free, fair, and credible general elections.
Lai Mohammed who is the Minister of Information and Culture, made this disclosure while speaking to State House correspondents after the federal executive council meeting presided over by President Buhari at the presidential villa.
Mohammed maintained that President Buhari, being the main occupant of the villa, had stressed times without number that he wants his administration to deliver a credible exercise.
According to him, if there are elements within the seat of power who are working against the victory of the ruling party, it has not been brought officially to the president’s notice.
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He said, ‘On a more serious note, 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 by deeds that he is committed to free, fair and credible elections. And fair, free, credible elections actually means not favouring anybody or disadvantaged anybody.
‘And everywhere he goes, he makes that very clear even as recently as last Friday when he was in Daura, he said the same thing. If there’s anybody working against a candidate we don’t know officially.’
But in what is considered to be an endorsement of the claims by the Kaduna State governor that some elements in Aso rock were working against the presidential ambition of the APC presidential candidate, wife of the president, Aisha Buhari, yesterday shared the video of El-Rufai’s interview on her verified Instagram with the caption, ‘long live the federal republic of Nigeria’.