The Borno State Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation, Youth and Sports Development, Sainna Buba, who threatened to “flog” opposition members who do not support the All Progressives Congress (APC), has tendered an apology and retracted the comments.
Buba, in a now-circulating video, said, “The government is our government,” adding that whoever follows it will enjoy “the honey.”
He said, “We are now playing politics. Whoever shows us a finger, we will show him a finger. Whoever dares to show us a finger again, we will break his finger.”
“The government is our government. Those who follow us will enjoy the honey; if you refuse, then you will be flogged,” he added.
However, addressing journalists in Maiduguri on Wednesday, the commissioner said the remark was never intended to harm or violate the fundamental rights of the people to freedom of choice and association.
He said, “In recent days, a comment I made during the empowerment programme organised by the City Boy Movement in Maiduguri has generated considerable concern within the public space.
“I wish to state, unequivocally, that my remark was never intended to harm or violate the fundamental rights of the people of our dear state to freedom of choice and association, as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended),” he noted.
He said he had earlier provided clarification that the comment was not intended to be taken in its literal sense.
“However, in view of the concern it has continued to generate, I am using this medium to retract my earlier statement formally and to apologise to the entire people of Borno State and beyond for any offence it may have caused,” Buba added.
“Let me state in categorical terms that my comment does not in any way represent the ideals of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the administration of His Excellency, Governor Professor Babagana Umara Zulum,” he stressed.
He further noted that the administration does not in any way undermine the rights of the citizenry.
“Rather, the party and the administration continue to uphold and respect every segment of our society, particularly our youth, who have remained steadfast supporters of both the party and the Zulum administration,” he maintained.
Zulum, he said, and the APC have consistently demonstrated a true democratic spirit over the past seven years, assuring that the commitment will remain unwavering to the very end of his tenure.
