The Federal Government is investigating sources of “subversive messages” on President Muhammadu Buhari’s health.
Purveyors of such messages will face “the full wrath of the law”, the government said yesterday.
For the second time in one week, the
social media was yesterday awash with rumours on the President’s state
of health, creating the impression of an orchestration of the issue.
Last week, a photograph of the President
watching television in a sitting room in London was made available by
the Presidency, after it denied that the President had passed on.
On Tuesday, factional chairman of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senator Ahmed Makarfi accused some All
Progressives Congress (APC) leaders, who, he said, are interested in
contesting certain positions in 2019, of being behind the rumour.
But Minister of Information Lai Mohammed
yesterday urged Nigerians to disregard such messages being circulated
via text messaging and the social media on the President’s health which
he said were being orchestrated by those who felt threatened by the
emerging order. He urged Nigerians “not to panic”.
He said there was “no iota of truth in
the messages being circulated on the health of the President, who is
hale and hearty, and the purported emergency meetings of the governors
in Abuja or anywhere.”
He said the naysayers had also “resorted
to the use of ethnicity and religion as tools to divide Nigerians,
overheat the polity and cause panic among the citizenry.”
He said in addition, those behind the messages were “using fake news and disinformation to distort government activities.”
Mohammed said in a statement: “While
opposition and criticism are all part of democracy, the crafting and
circulation of subversive materials and scare-mongering are not, hence
the full wrath of the law will be brought to bear on those who are bent
on subverting the state.
‘’The source/sources of the fabricated
messages are already being investigated and the authors should prepare
to face the consequences of their actions.
‘’The emerging trend of resorting to
destabilisation and scare-mongering is not unexpected, considering this
government’s clampdown on the corrupt elements in the society, the
plugging of all financial leaks which has derailed the gravy train of
the looters of public treasury and the enthronement of probity and
transparency in the polity.
‘’While we will neither stifle press
freedom nor abridge the citizens’ right to express themselves freely,
whether through criticism or protests, the security agencies will
neither allow any resort to violence nor a willful subversion of the
state for whatever reason.”
The minister also told reporters after
the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting the the rumour on the
President’s health is a “silly thing”.
He said there were more pertinent issues to discuss in the country than indulging in irrelevances.
He said: “I don’t want to lend my voice
to a very silly thing. I will not join this debate. I think there are
more serious issues of state to discuss than this issue.
“It’s only in this part of the world
that you wake up in the morning and you say the president of the country
is dead. I will not join that kind of debate at all.”
President Buhari left Nigeria for the
United Kingdom last Thursday on vacation. He is also billed to undergo
medical check-up while on the trip.
The Presidency also yesterday denied insinuation that Acting President Yemi Osinbajo was being pressured to resign.
A statement by the Special Adviser to
the President on Political Affairs, Mr. Femi Ojudu, said it was not true
that Osinbajo was being held hostage by some governors who were said to
have demanded his resignation from office.
According to the statement titled “State
of the Nation,” Ojudu said Osinbajo was at his desk in his office and
performing his routine functions, having earlier presided over a meeting
of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
The claim, he said was ridiculous. Ojudu urged the people to desist from carrying fake news.
He said: “I have read many ridiculous
stories saying the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo is being held
hostage by some governors who are trying to compel him to resign.
“I have equally received several calls
regarding this. The story is simply not true. It is a fabrication.
Don’t be a purveyor of fake news .
“The Vice President is behind his desk
carrying out his task. The Federal Executive Council presided over by
him has just ended and he has been busy receiving visitors and holding
meetings.”
Senate President Bukola Saraki also caution rumour mongers against dragging him into the matter.
In a statement, he said: “My attention
has been drawn to a speculation on some online media about supposed
meeting of some governors who held Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to
ransom and sought for Senate President Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki to
take over the Presidency.
“My first initial reaction was to ignore
this empty rumour but after being inundated with calls from across the
country and abroad, it became necessary for me to make clarifications
from our own end.
“It is a good thing that the Presidency
had dismissed the speculation and showed that there is no substance to
it. However, i feel it should be known that those behind this baseless,
empty and unintelligent mischief are those who do not love this country.
“Such suggestions as contained in the
speculation can only bring ill-will, disunity and crisis to the country
and i therefore advise the sponsors to desist immediately. More
importantly, these trouble makers should refrain from linking Senator
Saraki’s name to their evil plot.”
