President Muhammadu Buhari has warned the All Progressive Congress in states where the supplementary elections would hold on Saturday not to expect him to manipulate the polls in the party’s favour.
Supplementary elections are scheduled to hold in Adamawa, Kano, Rivers, Sokoto, Benue with that of Bauchi in doubt.
Speaking through his spokesman, Garba Shehu via a statement, Buhari hinted of pressure mounted on him to influence the outcome of the polls by some members of the ruling APC.
The President vowed not to cave in to the pressure, adding that doing otherwise would amount to undermining the constitution, which he pledged to uphold even as he torn into the main opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, over the party’s claim that the presidency and the APC were working underground to rig the election.
The statement reads in part: “The Presidency also rejects unfair and ridiculous criticisms of President Muhammadu Buhari’s apparent disinterest in the upcoming elections in some states by party members who wrongfully assume that the President will abuse power by changing results to favour them.
“Past presidents of Nigeria were known to interfere in inconclusive elections, and that is why party members appear to be upset that the same thing is not happening now, but President Buhari is a different kind of leader. He swore to defend the constitution and will not veer off from that.
“The constitution of Nigeria gives the President no such powers. It is unfair and ridiculous to criticise President Buhari for not going against the constitution.
“Party members in states where there will be supplementary elections then need to be reminded that they need to work hard to earn their people’s votes, rather than expect President Buhari to manipulate INEC in their favour.”
