Lai Mohammed, minister of information, says it is not the
business of President Muhammadu Buhari to withdraw the nomination of resident
electoral commissioners (RECs) over “unproven” allegations.
Mohammed spoke on Wednesday at the end of the federal
executive council (FEC) meeting.
In July, Buhari asked the senate to confirm 19 nominees as
RECs of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The nomination of the RECs has been rejected by civil
society organisations (CSOs).
“Some of the nominees
of the President fail the constitutional test of non-partisanship and
unquestionable integrity. Evidence abounds that some of the nominees are either
partisan, politically aligned, or previously indicted for corruption,” the CSOs
had said.
“To mention a few, Prof. Muhammad Lawal Bashir from Sokoto
was a governorship aspirant under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the
2015 election cycle. Mrs. Sylvia Uchenna Agu, the nominee for Enugu state, is
believed to be the younger sister of the APC deputy national chairman,
south-east.”
Reacting to the development, the information minister said
the allegations do not mean that the nominees are guilty.
“As to the nominees that are being challenged by social
media warriors and by some critics, I don’t think it is the business of the
president to immediately throw out the nominee based on allegations which have
not been proven,” he said.
“I think the whole idea is that these people will go for
confirmation in the national assembly. The same questions that are being raised
in the public domain will be asked there.
“I think this media trial is quite worrisome, because even
when these people are cleared of any wrongdoing, nobody comes back to apologise
to them.
“So, my advice is, yes, there’ll be allegations against
anybody; it does not mean that fellow is guilty. Let’s wait for the process to
be completed.”
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