The Borno State Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation, Youth and Sports Development, Sainna Buba, has apologised and withdrawn his controversial comment about flogging opposition supporters who refuse to back the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Buba had sparked criticism after a video showed him making the remarks during an empowerment programme organised by the City Boy Movement in Maiduguri.
In the video, he said, “The government is our government,” and told supporters that those who backed the government would enjoy “the honey.”
He also 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, speaking to journalists in Maiduguri on Wednesday, Buba said his statement was not meant to threaten anyone or violate their constitutional rights.
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.
Buba said he had previously explained that his comment was not meant to be understood literally.
“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.
He also distanced the comment from the APC and the state government.
“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.
The commissioner said the administration respects the rights of citizens and does not seek to undermine them.
“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.
Buba added that Governor Babagana Zulum and the APC had shown commitment to democracy throughout the past seven years and would continue to do so until the end of the governor’s tenure.
