The Presidency has said the “five-minute meeting” closed door meeting President Muhammadu Buhari held with the leadership of Independent National Electoral Commission, and the Inspector General of Police on the November 21 governorship election in Kogi State, was aimed at having credible election in the state.
Spokesman, Shehu Garba, said the president called the meeting to inform INEC and the police that “he expected nothing short of a free, fair and credible election”.
The spokesperson of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Olisa Metuh, had on Sunday issued a statement, saying the party had information that the Presidency convened a meeting with INEC and police to perfect plans to rig the election.
Shehu, said the president reminded the two agencies of his experience in the past as he sought to be elected president and urged them not to allow manipulation of any kind during the election.
“He said he suffered election manipulation in 2003, 2007 and 2011 and would not like to have any Nigerian go through that again,” Mr. Shehu said.
He also said Buhari warned against intimidation of voters in anyway, and expressed readiness to bring to justice anyone found undermining the rights of citizens.
“The meeting was short and straight to the point. It ended after five minutes,” Shehu said.
He said only Buhari spoke at the meeting.
The presidential spokesperson called on Nigerians to “be wary of the PDP’s fruitless attempts to destroy national institutions President Buhari is determined to rebuild.”
He accused the PDP of making unfounded allegations against some institutions of government.
“They (PDP) started with the courts, then the EFCC, then onto the police and now they are on the one-week old INEC.
“When will PDP allow our national institutions to do their job?,” he asked.
In its Sunday statement, the PDP alleged that INEC and the police were ordered “to use official and unofficial means necessary to ensure victory for the All Progressives Congress in the November 21 Kogi governorship election.
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