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, 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.
