The Federal Government of Nigeria on Monday accused members of opposition political parties in the country of working with hostile foreign intelligence services to undermine the forthcoming general elections.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed while addressing some editors in Abuja cited ‘a particular presidential candidate’ whom he alleged was holding suspicious meetings with some envoys as part of his plans to instigate them against the outcome of the elections.

Mohammed specifically claimed that the opposition were sending delegations to some Western capitals, including London, Brussels and Washington DC to push the ‘concocted line that the Buhari administration has perfected the plan to rig the polls, while pushing for a rejection of the results if the president wins re-election’.

His words: “He (the presidential candidate) is doing this because he has seen the hand writing on the wall, that he will be defeated. They are very desperate.

“We revealed that the plan to scuttle the polls is part of moves to push the nation into a constitutional crisis, with the plotters hoping they can leverage on that to push for an interim government.

“When we raised the alarm, the opposition dismissed it. Of course they were shocked to have been found out so we understand their panic reaction.

‘”To underscore the seriousness of our alert, a week after our press conference, the National Security Adviser (NSA) met with state governors to also inform them of this same plan to scuttle the polls via widespread violence.

“As I said at my last press conference, the alarm we raised is based on credible intelligence. Today, still based on credible intelligence, we can reveal that the opposition is moving a step further. They are working hard to discredit the forthcoming election before, during and after the polls.

“Specifically, they are sending a delegation to some Western capitals, including London, Brussels and Washington DC to push the concocted line that the Buhari administration has perfected the plan to rig the polls.

“They are therefore pushing for a rejection of the results if the president wins re-election. They are also predicting carnage in the event of the president’s victory.”

He further accused the opposition of engaging in incendiary rhetorics and in making outlandish claims using several fronts, including the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) which he described as nothing more than a ‘reincarnated Association for Better Nigeria that played suspicious roles in the failed 1993 political transition process.

The minister alleged that the opposition have targeted for attack the two key institutions that are most critical to the success of the election: the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the police by using  ‘malleable and malicious’ personalities to make wild allegations against them.

“Their strategy is simple; discredit the election even before it is held and continue during and after the polls with a view to convincing the West – which they believe they have won to their side using lobbyist-propelled propaganda that the election is not credible.

“Some may ask: why would the opposition go to this length? The answer is simple. They know and are convinced that they cannot win free, fair, credible and peaceful polls. The handwriting is on the wall for all discerning people to see.

“While President Buhari has received warm and genuine reception and adulation from huge crowds everywhere he has gone to campaign, their candidate has been exposed to apathetic and thinning crowds! Their numbers just don’t add up,” he claimed.

He therefore reiterated President Buhari’s commitment towards ensuring a free, fair and violence-free election.He added that he has no doubt that based on testimonies from Nigerians, the achievements of his administration in the three cardinal areas of fighting corruption, revamping the economy and fighting insecurity, will speak for him at the polls.