"If there's anybody working against a candidate, we don't know officially," Lai Mohammed said.

President Muhammadu Buhari is not favouring any presidential candidate and is instead committed to a free and fair election, information minister Lai Mohammed said Wednesday.

Mr Mohammmed spoke in Abuja at the end of the Federal Executive Council meeting.

The minister was responding to a journalist who asked him to respond to the claim by the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, that some officials at the Presidency did not want Bola Tinubu, the candidate of the ruling party, to win this month's presidential election.

"One thing I can assure you is that no matter what, this administration is focused, determined to ensure free and fair elections. But I think with this administration the most important person is Mr President and I think he has shown by words and by indeed that he is dedicated to free, fair and credible election," he said.

"And fair, free, credible elections actually means not favouring anybody, not disadvantaging anybody. And everywhere he goes he makes that very clear even as recently as Friday when he was in Daura, he said the same thing."

Mr Mohammed's explanation appears to contradict previous statements by the presidency that Mr Buhari was committed to supporting Mr Tinubu and other APC candidates in the general elections.

On Wednesday, Mr Mohammed added that he is not aware that anybody in the presidency was working against Mr Tinubu's interest.

"If there's anybody working against a candidate, we don't know officially," Mr Mohammed said.

PREMIUM TIMES reported the statement by Mr El-Rufai Wednesday morning that some officials of the presidency did not want Mr Tinubu to win the presidential election.

Details later...