President Goodluck Jonathan has denied being turned down after requesting to visit former president, Ibrahim Babanginda to breakfast with him in Minna, as published as published by a newspaper, Peoples Daily.
The president described the publication as an attempt to sow the seeds of discord in the country, and demanded its retraction.
“The mischievous lead report in the Peoples Daily newspaper today that President Goodluck Jonathan sought to visit former President Ibrahim Babangida in Minna to show him ‘the spirit of comradeship’ during Ramadan is completely untrue,” Special Adviser to the president on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati wrote in a release.
“Although President Jonathan participates in the Ramadan fast every year in solidarity with Nigerians of the Islamic faith, he has never, as Vice President or President of the country, visited the residence of any individual to break his fast.
“Rather, it has been the President’s custom to regularly invite Moslems from all strata of society to break their fast with him at the Presidential Villa during the month of Ramadan.”
The statement added that In keeping with that established practice, President Jonathan has been busy hosting Moslems, most evenings of the current Ramadan season.
“As much as he respects and holds former President Babangida in high regard, President Jonathan has never indicated any interest in visiting him at Minna during the current Ramadan. Therefore, there could not have been any ‘turning down’ of a visit by President Jonathan by the former president,” it went on.
“We condemn the decision of the editors of the Peoples Daily to publish such arrant falsehood in spite of our vigorous rebuttal as a further manifestation of a continuing effort to sow the seeds of discord in the polity.
“Although the newspaper cites a phantom ‘reliable presidency source’ and ‘a source close to the former president’ to buttress its fictitious report, the editors of Peoples Daily know full well that they can never prove the veracity of the false claim that President Jonathan either offered to break his fast with General Babangida in Minna or was turned down by the former president.”
The president therefore demanded “a full retraction of the totally false report, which demeans the Office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and an apology by the newspaper.”
