N242bn is not too much to fund 2019 elections ― Maharaji

THE Founder of One Love Family, Satguru Maharaj Ji has said that the sum of 242 billion Naira as the amount being proposed by President Muhammadu Buhari to fund the 2019 general elections was not too much to fund the elections in a country like Nigeria.

Maharaj Ji who berated individuals and groups making negative comments on the forthcoming elections said that contrary to their opinions, many would be surprised that the general elections would be free, fair and successful.

He spoke while addressing journalists on the state of the nation at a press conference held at Satguru Maharaj Ji village, Ibadan, the Oyo state capital on Friday.

But Maharaj Ji while speaking on the proposed amount as well as the Independent National Electoral Commission’s readiness for the elections argued that no amount of money was too big to ensure free, fair and acceptable elections in a country like Nigeria that is blessed with both many untapped natural and human resources.

Maharaj Ji who declared that countries like Nigeria that is the giant of Africa should not be concerned about how much it spends on elections and security maintained that Nigerians should be more concerned about the results of the elections and not the money spent.

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He said that President Buhari can spend trillions of Naira on elections so far as the money was tailored towards what it was meant for.

He said, “73 million registered voters in a country of over 180 million people like Nigeria that is giant of Africa, and 242 billion Naira for the general elections in 2019. See, look at yourself, we are comfortable people, we are the giant of Africa. If the President wants to use trillions of Naira for the elections, it is not too much, if the President is using billions for elections and security it is not too much, no amount is too much.

“What we need to do is to ask the INEC to explain to us what they want to use the money for. We are talking about underage voting, they want to eradicate that, then the votes will count.

“N242 billion is nothing, so long as the money spent on the elections will manifest.

“N242 billion is nothing, so long as the money spent on the elections will manifest.

Maharaj Ji while speaking further charged Nigerians irrespective of their political or ethnic backgrounds to support the present administration of President Buhari and the INEC to ensure that their votes count in the 2019 elections and acceptable by all and sundry.

He added that all Nigerians must work together as one entity, noting that to keep Nigeria one was a task that must be done.

Maharaj Ji said, “This is what we need to do. All of us, all Nigerians, Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Itsekiri, Ijaw, Fulani, all of us in Nigeria. We need to keep Nigeria as one. To keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done.