APC lied, Jonathan didn’t visit Lagos to rig elections – Abati

Presidential spokesman, Dr Reuben Abati has lashed out at the spokesman of All Progressives Congress APC, Lai Mohammed for lying and being rude to President Jonathan.
Mohammed had earlier alleged that the President’s visit to Lagos and meeting with stakeholders were meant to rig today’s gubernatorial and state houses of assembly elections.
Abati said the President had no plan to rig the elections, adding that everything that happened at the State House, Marina were routine.
“Lai Muhammed is wrong to say that the President came to Lagos to rig the Gubernatorial and State House of Assembly elections scheduled for Saturday, April 11. He is of course lying as usual and rude. President Jonathan visited Lagos. He arrived on Thursday and left on Friday. People visited him. So what? Anytime the President is in Lagos or any part of the country, a lot of people come to pay homage to him. Nothing unusual happened during his last visit to Lagos. Senator Musiliu Obanikoro’s visit to the President in Lagos is not something that anybody should use to play politics. Koro is a Minister of the Federal Republic. He came to see his boss.
Mr. Jimi Agbaje is the Governorship candidate of the PDP in Lagos. I don’t see how his visit to the President, who is also the leader of his party, the PDP, should become an issue.
Yes, Gani Adams also visited, but so did a lot of other people,” Abati said.
Contrary to Mohammed’s allegation, Abati noted that President Jonathan did not hold any meeting with Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, officials or any other official involved in the elections.
Abati continued: “The President did not hold meetings with INEC officials, he did not meet with the police, or polling officials or with anybody who is involved in organising elections. So to say that the President went to Lagos to supervise the rigging of Saturday’s election is most uncharitable and cruel.”
The Presidential spokesman recalled that the President did not rig the March 28 elections and will not rig any election at all, adding that he conceded defeat quickly and saved the nation from crisis.
“After the Presidential election, the President immediately congratulated Gen. Buhari and the whole world has commended him for saving Nigeria. President Jonathan’s sportsmanship, statesmanship and leadership saved this country at that critical moment. He has demonstrated his commitment to free and fair election, the rule of law and due process. He has shown that he is a man of character, honour and integrity. Nigerians generally are proud of him. He has left a worthy legacy and shown a great example. That, obviously, is the narrative that Lai Muhammed and his masters want to change, so they are now cooking up meaningless tales.
Lai Muhammed should look for another target and leave the President alone. His fatuous tale does not make any sense. I repeat: we will like to advise that the APC should just leave the President alone. President Jonathan was a candidate in the presidential election; he did not rig the election. Why would he want to rig tomorrow’s elections?” Abati submitted.
In a related development, First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan has denied plans to falsify the results of the elections in River state in favour of the PDP.
Governor Rotimi Amaechi had accused her of plotting to rig the elections.
But the First Lady, in a statement by the Director of Information in her office, Ihuoma Priscilla, said as an apostle of peace, she could not be involved in act that would hinder peaceful conduct of elections in any part of the country.
The statement read, “The First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan has dismissed the allegation that she was pressurising the Independent National Electoral Commission (and the Security Agencies to rig tomorrow’s (April 11, 2015) elections in Rivers State.
“As an apostle of peace and non-violent elections, the First Lady distances herself from any alleged actions that could hinder successful elections in Nigeria, especially in her home state, Rivers State.
“She countered the insinuations that she was in her home town, Okrika for the purpose of the governorship election, pointing out that she registered in her husband, President Jonathan’s village, Otuoke in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.”