The Federal Government has assured Nigerians that the general election will go ahead as planned. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, gave the assurance yesterday as he dismissed fears over the possibility or cancellation of direct elections due to the level of insecurity across the country.
The ministers, who spoke on the occasion of the continued presentation of the scorecard of President Muhammadu Buhari in response to the report credited to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that the general election scheduled for February across the country is under serious threat of cancellation due to insecurity. .
INEC officials have warned that “If insecurity is not monitored and dealt with decisively, it may eventually lead to the cancellation and or postponement of elections in constituencies sufficient to obstruct the declaration of election results and lead to a constitutional crisis.”
But the Minister stressed that “There is no cause for alarm” because according to him, the federal government is working with the relevant government agencies to ensure free elections.
“The position of the federal government remains that the 2023 elections will be held as planned. Nothing has changed that position. We understand that INEC is working with security agencies to ensure that successful elections are held across the country.
“The security agents also continue to assure Nigerians that they are working hard to ensure that the election is held peacefully. Therefore, there is no reason for alarm,” he said.