By Ismaila Chafe
The Presidency says no classified report against the All Progressives Congress (APC) Muslim-Muslim ticket in the forthcoming 2023 presidential election by the Department of State Service (DSS) has been submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that an online newspaper, Peoples Gazette, on Friday quoted the DSS report frowning at APC presidential candidate’s (Bola Tinubu) decision to nominate a fellow Muslim as vice-presidential candidate for the 2023 presidential election.
The online newspaper also quoted the report as describing Tinubu’s decision as a recipe for renewed sectarian crises that could destabilise Nigeria.
It further reported that a classified report was sent to President Buhari by the DSS, highlighting the security implications of the choice of former Gov. Kashim Shettima as vice-presidential running mate to Tinubu.
”The document, which got to the president by way of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd), said Tinubu should consider security implications of his selection before making it public,” the newspaper reported.
However, Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s media aide, in a statement on Friday in Abuja, described the online report as fake and meant to sow division and chaos on the choice of Shettima.
Shehu, therefore, advised Nigerians to always ignore what he described as toxic reports, calling the online newspaper as a ”deadly virus”.
The statement read in part: ”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 former Governor Kashim Shettima as the running mate of our Party’s Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
”This so-called newspaper is like a deadly virus. Stay safe by keeping away from its toxic reports.”
(NAN)
