The presidency has reacted to a reported secret memo to President Muhammadu Buhari warning him of the dangers of allowing Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) to choose a fellow Muslim as his running mate.
Mr Tinubu on Sunday announced Kashim Shettima, former Borno governor as his running mate in the 2023 presidential election. He said he considered competence and the need to do away with religion from national politics.
Reactions in support for and against have been trailing the choice of the former Lagos State governor including from members of his party.
On Friday, a report by an online medium said the president was forewarned, by the State Security Service (SSS) in a secret memo now leaked to it, but paid deaf ears to the adverse implications of having candidates of same faith succeed him in office.
The report said the persecution of Christians by non-state actors in the country might increase should Messrs Tinubu and Shettima succeed the president.
Reacting to the report, presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, described it as false that should be discarded by the reading public as there exist no advisory from the secret police on the subject matter.
“We wish to advise well-meaning Nigerians to ignore a laughably puerile report by an apparently pirate online newspaper seeking to sow division and chaos on the choice of Governor Kashim Shettima as the Running Mate of our Party’s Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Mr Shehu said in a statement Friday evening. “This so-called newspaper is like a deadly virus. Stay safe by keeping away from its toxic reports.”
This so-called newspaper is like a deadly virus. Stay safe by keeping away from its toxic reports.
— Garba Shehu (@GarShehu) July 15, 2022
