By Kolade Larewaju

ABEOKUTA  – President Goodluck Jonathan Saturday said that the Federal Government would ensure that enough funds would be provided for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) even if it will squeeze itself for the Commission to conduct a free, fair and credible election in 2011.

Jonathan said that by the grace of God he would be elected President in the 2011 polls and vowed not to discriminate against any Nigerian or ethnic group.

Answering questions from a cross section of people at a Town Hall Meeting in Abeokuta as part of his 2 -day visit to Ogun State, President Jonathan said that the issue of new minimum wage has nothing to do with the funding of INEC.

President Jonathan

The President who was reacting to a question on how the Federal Government would finance the election when it cannot pay the new minimum wage said “the issue of N18, 000 minimum wage affects everybody. It is not a Federal Government affair. Presently the Federal Government is paying N17, 500, if it is only Federal Government; that is no problem. But there is a difference in minimum wage and issue of salary increase affects the states, local governments and anybody who employs more than 50 people is supposed to pay.

“Immediately INEC requested for money, we gave out the money. We will squeeze ourselves of money to ensure INEC conducts a free, fair and credible election. Minimum wage has nothing to do with it”.

The President who said “by the Grace of God, I will be there in 2011 and I will not discriminate against any Nigerian” in answering another question said that there was no crack within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said that what people were seeing were clashes of different interests.