By Jennifer Y Omiloli
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said that opposition politicians are orchestrating widespread violence to truncate the forthcoming general elections.
The Minister made these allegations while speaking at a world press conference in Abuja on Monday.
‘‘As you are aware, Nigeria goes to the polls just 27 days from now.
‘‘However, the Federal Government is in possession of credible intelligence to the effect that widespread violence being orchestrated by the opposition is threatening the 2019 general elections,’’ he said.
Speaking on the reasons for the plot, the minister said the opposition politicians, having realised that their fortunes had dwindled ahead of the polls, were orchestrating widespread violence with a view to truncating the elections.
‘‘You have definitely seen the massive and warm reception that President Muhammadu Buhari has been receiving across the country, compared to the thinning crowds that have been attending the opposition rallies.
‘‘The desperate opposition is orchestrating widespread violence with a view to truncating the elections, thus triggering a constitutional crisis that could snowball into the establishment of an interim government,’’ he said.
The Minister confirmed the Federal Government’s claims and allegation against the opposition politicians to justify that the government was not just crying wolf.
‘‘We have credible intelligence that bandits and Boko Haram insurgents have been mobilised to engage in massive attacks and other acts of violence in several states across the country.
‘‘The states include: Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Benue, Kano, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Plateau, Taraba and Zamfara.
‘‘The Benue-based armed criminal group, led by Terwase AKWAZA, also known as Gana, has been commissioned to strike soft targets in Benue, Nasarawa, and Taraba States.
‘‘In Kano State, a group of notorious miscreants have been mobilised by some prominent opposition leaders to provoke massive chaos before, during and after the elections.’’ He said.
He also added that there was an international dimension to the evil plan.
‘‘Some armed mercenaries from Niger Republic have been contracted to attack top government functionaries, including state governors, across the North-West between now and the elections,’’ he said.
The Minister also appealed to the media to help in sensitising members of the public to the observed threats, capable of disrupting the elections.
‘‘The punchline of our long running campaign on security – if you see something, say something – remains relevant, perhaps even more, at this time,’’ he said.
He made it clear that all the relevant agencies under his ministry would work together to ensure that Nigerians are alerted to the dangers posed to the forthcoming elections by the unpatriotic citizens planning to destabilise the country in order to realise their inordinate and selfish ambitions.
