A loyalist of the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, Naja’atu Mohammed has blamed President Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) for rigging the February 25 election in favour of the All Progressives Congress candidate Bola Tinubu. Naja’atu, who previously served as director in charge of civil society organisations in the APC Presidential Campaign Council before defecting to Atiku’s camp, also criticised Buhari for alleged abuse of the rule of law, blatant corruption and other vices that she said have characterised governance over the past eight years.
In a statement she personally signed and made available to journalists in Abuja on Thursday, Naja’atu condemned Buhari for publicly displaying his ballot paper after voting, describing the act as an affront to Nigeria’s secret‑ballot system. She wrote, “The just‑concluded presidential election has further exposed the inability of President Buhari to rule this country fairly and justly; a President who has never shied away from spitting on the laws of the land entrusted to him to serve and protect. He has led the most inept and corrupt regime in Nigeria’s history, promised free and fair elections after subjecting Nigerians to unprecedented hardship, and then failed to deliver on those promises. Moreover, he brazenly raised his ballot paper before the public to show the world whom he voted for.”
Naja’atu argued that this “embarrassing action” not only violated the secret‑ballot provision of electoral law but also breached the rule that political campaigns must end 48 hours before the election. She claimed these unlawful acts constituted a clear directive from the President to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies on which party to favour and rig for. She warned that this administration would be remembered for its contempt for the rule of law and its disregard for court orders. Consequently, she called for the resignation of INEC’s chairman, stating that Nigerians could not trust him to oversee the forthcoming governorship election.
Reacting to Naja’atu’s statements, APC Director of Publicity Bala Ibrahim dismissed her credibility, saying she should not be taken seriously. He noted that Naja’atu is a member of the Police Service Commission (PSC) and was removed from the list of supervisors monitoring election activities in the North East after the APC’s primary election collating committee petitioned the PSC over her partisanship. Ibrahim highlighted that she is a card‑carrying member of the PDP, having obtained her PSC position through APC affiliation in the North‑West. He argued that if she had any shame or credibility, she should have resigned from the PSC after leaving the APC, rather than retaining a lucrative post. Using a metaphor, he said, “You cannot divorce your wife and still sneak in to meet her; if you leave, you must leave completely.” Ibrahim concluded that anyone with “dented credibility” and “soiled hands” is unfit to comment on the credibility of any agency or personality.
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