Buhari in support of Tinubu

Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed said on Thursday that the president, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), fully supports the presidential candidate, All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu.

Mohammed made the statement against the background of his interview with State House correspondents on Wednesday, in which he said he had been misquoted.

In his statement after the Federal Executive Council meeting, the minister had said that the government was not “officially aware” of any entity in the presidential mansion opposing the APC flag bearer’s victory.

He said, “If there’s anyone working against a candidate, officially we don’t know.”

Kaduna state governor Nasir El-Rufai had said on Wednesday that some elements in the presidential villa are working against Tinubu.

Clarifying his earlier statement, Lai said, “But first let me take this opportunity to make a quick clarification. Yesterday, when responding to a question at the State House post-FEC briefing, I said, among other things, that Mr. President is committed to free, fair, and credible elections, and that he is doing everything possible to level playing field for all participants.

“This comment has been misinterpreted in some circles, especially with regard to the president’s support for our party’s presidential candidate, the All Progressives Congress, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“Well, I want to say unequivocally that Mr. President fully supports our party’s standard bearer, and that is borne out by his continued campaigning with the candidate across the country. It is

ridiculous to even suggest that Mr. President, who is the leader of our party, is ambiguous in his support for our presidential candidate. I hope this clears up any ambiguities that may have arisen from my statement yesterday.”