konknaijaboy | On 24, Jan 2014

Former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has been summoned to the headquarters of the State Security Service in Abuja on Friday over a statement attributed to him in the Thursday edition of ThisDay newspapers.

El-Rufai writes a weekly column for the newspaper.

The former FCT Minister and Deputy National Secretary, All Progressives Congress, APC, was said to have been invited to clarify the statement, where he was quoted to have said, “The next election is likely to be violent and many people are likely going to die. And the only alternative left to get power is to take it by force; this is the reality on the ground”.

The APC chieftain had further warned that the 2015 general elections would be marred by riots and other forms of violence that might lead to loss of lives and property except the Independent National Electoral Commission and security agencies were ready to organize free and fair elections.

He accused INEC of incompetence, arguing that if it was not able to hold credible elections in Anambra and Delta states, it would be almost impossible to expect free and fair elections from the electoral umpire next year.

He, therefore, on the basis of the above, passed a vote of no confidence in the Attahiru Jega-led electoral commission and security agencies to organise impartial elections in 2015 even as he predicted a disastrous outcome if those involved did not get their acts together early enough.

Information Nigeria learnt that the former minister’s comments did not go down well with the SSS, which necessitated the invitation and also the issuance of a terse statement warning politicians against making provocative and disruptive comments ahead of the general elections.