The Presidency has denied media reports that foreign Governments are
opposed to President Mohammadu Buhari’s second term bid, describing the
report as “fake news.”
Presidential Spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina said in a statement on Tuesday
while reacting to a newspaper report entitled “Pressure mounts on Buhari
not to seek re-election” that the report is not true.
The report said countries such as European Union, US, UK and Saudi Arabia
were mounting pressure on Buhari not to run in 2019.
But the presidential spokesman said apart from holding Buhari in high
esteem, the international community would not interfere in the affairs of
Nigeria.
“Under the headline, ‘Pressure mounts on Buhari not to seek re-election,’
the fiction parading as news claims that foreign powers, including the
European Union, United States of America, United Kingdom, and Saudi
Arabia, are putting pressure on President Buhari not to seek re-election,
due to some concocted reasons,” the statement read.
“We thought fake news was the sole preserve of the social media in this
season. Alas, a traditional medium has caught the bug. Obviously, the
author of the story just got a brain wave, or got procured by
anti-democratic elements, and then penned the mischief.
“If there are quarters in which president Buhari is held in very high
esteem, and the work he is doing for Nigeria highly lauded, it is in the
countries mentioned. Some of them are equally bastions of democracy, and
will not interfere in the democratic affairs of a sovereign country. The
newspaper should simply tell its story to the marines.
“President Buhari is not a flippant or frivolous individual. He gave deep
thought to the prospect, before announcing his bid for a second term in
office. It is only those who fear that their goose would be cooked, if
they meet with him at the polls, that are trying to dissuade him from
running by all means, including sponsored newspaper stories.
“By saying it got feelers that President Buhari may opt out of the 2019
presidential election, embarrassed itself, and all those who love good
journalism. The newspaper can surely do better.”