TheCable

Lai Mohammed, minister of information, says violence allegedly planned by the opposition is threatening the forthcoming polls.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Monday, Mohammed said the federal government has intelligence that the opposition is planning “widespread violence.”

The minister said the opposition is allegedly resorting to this means because “their fortunes have dwindled badly ahead of the polls.”

“As you are aware, Nigeria goes to the polls just 27 days from now. However, the federal government has credible intelligence to the effect that widespread violence being orchestrated by the opposition is threatening the 2019 general elections,” he said.

“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.

“Having realized that their fortunes have dwindled badly ahead of the polls, 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.

“Before you accuse the government of crying wolf, let me tell you, gentlemen, that we have credible intelligence that armed bandits and Boko Haram insurgents have been mobilized to engage in massive attacks and other acts of violence in several states across the country, including Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Benue, Kano, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Plateau, Taraba and Zamfara.”

The minister said there is also an international dimension to the 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,” Mohammed said.

“The federal government is taking every possible measure to counter these evil plans by unpatriotic anarchists and ensure the success of the 2019 general election.

“The administration’s commitment to a credible, free, fair and peaceful elections is unshaken. After all, according to the online encyclopedia – Wikipedia – elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated since the 17th century.”