The Presidency has alerted the nation of another orchestrated smear
\ncampaign against President Muhammadu Buhari, using some online
\nnewspapers and blogs.<\/p>\n
Mr Femi Adesina, the President\u2019s spokesman, who raised the alert in a
\nstatement in Abuja on Friday, said the campaign was designed to further
\nexacerbate tension in the land, by portraying the president as pandering
\nto ethnic and other primordial tendencies.<\/p>\n
According to him, this narrative is contrary to Buhari\u2019s pledge to
\nbelong to all Nigerians.<\/p>\n
The statement read in part: \u201cThe campaign, scheduled to be launched
\nanytime soon through editorials and purported special investigative
\nstories, is designed to further exacerbate tension in the land, by
\nportraying the President as pandering to ethnic and other primordial
\ntendencies, contrary to his pledge to belong to all Nigerians.<\/p>\n
\u201cImpeccable security findings indicate that those behind the plot have
\nprocured online blogs and newspapers, which are to launch coordinated
\npublications, alleging subjugation and suppression of a particular
\nreligion and ethnic groups.<\/p>\n
\u201cA specific medium has so far contacted some opinion leaders, especially
\nthose very critical of President Buhari.<\/p>\n
\u201cPart of the planned publication is to make unwary readers believe that
\nthe President has continually used the powers of his office to shield
\nand protect an ethnic group against crimes of murder, kidnappings, rape
\nand banditry in the southern, middle belt and some northern states.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe publication will also refer Nigerians to a 58-page document, which
\nchronicles purported atrocities of the ethnic group in the South since
\n2017, all of which it claims the Presidency has turned blind eyes to.<\/p>\n
\u201cAgain, the hatchet job will allege that the President has continued to
\nplace members of his ethnic nationality in sensitive positions, so as to
\nconfer undue advantage on them. This allegation is by no means supported
\nwith reasonable facts and figures.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Buhari had on Thursday while meeting with the leadership of the Nigerian
\nSupreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), led by Sultan of Sokoto,
\nAlhaji Sa\u2019ad Abubakar, restated his even-handedness on the issues of
\nethnicity and religion.<\/p>\n
The president said: \u201cThe Federal Government under my leadership does
\nnot, and will not, allow religious prejudice or partisanship to
\ninfluence any of its decisions and policies.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is my solemn decision to be fair and just to all segments of
\nsociety.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adesina, however, maintained that those who were bent on stoking ethnic
\nand religious unrest in the country had remained deaf to reason, and
\nimpervious to reality.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are hell-bent on distorting reality, and Nigerians are urged to be
\nwary of them. It is all about quest for power, and filthy lucre,\u2019\u2019 he
\nadded.(NAN)<\/p>\n
The Presidency has alerted the nation of another orchestrated smear campaign against President Muhammadu Buhari, using some online newspapers and blogs. Mr Femi Adesina, the President\u2019s spokesman, who raised the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":78037,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n