Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, warned that law‑enforcement agencies will clamp down on any voter intimidation or violence during the March 18 governorship elections. Speaking on Arise News’ Morning Show on Thursday, Shehu said that despite reports of governors planning to rig elections in states such as Rivers, Edo, Enugu, and Kano, the will of the Nigerian people will prevail because officials will prevent governors from exerting undue influence over the outcomes.
Shehu emphasized that “these governors are not gods.” He noted that it was once assumed that a governor could automatically move on to the Senate after completing a term, but many have now lost senatorial bids, underscoring that ultimately “the will of the people counts.” He also asserted that President Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) is “above conspiracy” regarding the February 25 elections, which many Nigerians claimed were tilted in favor of the ruling APC.
The All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, was announced as President‑Elect on March 1 after reportedly polling over eight million votes. However, the conduct of the elections has been marred by controversy. Pundits and foreign observers described the process as falling short of Nigerians’ expectations, chiefly because the Independent National Electoral Commission failed to transmit results electronically from its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System to the result‑viewing portal. Shehu defended the electoral body, arguing that it acted within its powers by transmitting results manually for the presidential and National Assembly elections.
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