Lai Mohammed allays fears over cancellation of election due to insecurity

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Tuesday, January 10, assured Nigerians that the 2023 general elections will hold as planned.

Lai Mohammed gave the assurance in Abuja at the 17th edition of the “President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) Administration Scorecard Series (2015-2023).”

He was reacting to a widely-circulated report, credited to an INEC official, that the 2023 general elections face a serious threat of cancellation due to insecurity.

The minister said there is no cause for alarm over the fake report as all hands are on deck to ensure peaceful and credible conduct of the polls.

“The position of the Federal Government remains that the 2023 elections will be held as planned. Nothing has happened to change that position.

“We are aware that INEC is working with the security agencies to ensure that the elections are successfully held across the country.

“The security agencies have also continued to assure Nigerians that they are working tirelessly to ensure that the elections are held in a peaceful atmosphere,” Lai Mohammed assured.

The scorecard series was launched by the Ministry of Information and Culture in October, last year to showcase the achievements of the Buhari Administration.

Since the series started, 16 Ministers had featured and presented the achievements of their ministries and the parastatal agencies under them.

The 17th edition featured the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire who also presented the strides that have been made in the country’s critical health sector.

Meanwhile, in his Monday speech in Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State, January 10, President Muhammadu Buhari said that God had stopped “deliberate plots to destroy Nigeria.”

In addition, Buhari stated that the nation had “bounced back” from its trying times and thanked the police and armed forces for their sacrifices in defending the nation.

Buhari said at the palace of the Emir of Damaturu, Hashimi II El-Kanemi, “There was a deliberate attempt to destroy Nigeria but God did not permit it.”

This is according to a statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, titled, ‘With victory over terrorists, we must develop strong confidence in our country, President Buhari says’.