It wasn’t me: Mallam Nuhu Ribadu denies insulting President Jonathan (READ)

by Godwin Akanfe

 

Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has denied the widespread reports that he labelled the country a ‘sinking ship’ and the President a ‘tyrant’.

It was earlier reported by news platforms that Ribadu made the comments at a lecture in Kaduna on Saturday, 16 August. It was alleged that he said Nigeria, under President Goodluck Jonathan, “was a sinking ship in which the yearnings of the masses were being neglected by a tyrannical leadership.”

However, Ribadu has released a statement saying that he did not attend any public function where he was said to have made the comments. In the statement which was released by his Media Assistant, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, he said the so-called comments were fictitious and concocted.

The statement reads:

“Our attention has been drawn to a purported statement circulating in the social media and other online platforms allegedly made by Mallam Nuhu Ribadu on the persons of President Goodluck Jonathan and Governors Rotimi Ameachi and Rabiu Kwankwaso.

The so-called statement is baseless, malicious and fictitious whose origin is only the walls and timelines of those promoting the obviously sponsored smear campaign. We have had course to confront some people in the forefront of posting and tweeting those fictitious statements over the last 12 hours to prove the origin of the said statement or provide link to any credible news outfit that published the purported statement.

No one could provide any. Instead, the people involved, understandably acting the script of their sponsors, have continued to shamelessly spread the lies.

I want to reiterate that Mallam Nuhu Ribadu was not at any public function yesterday and he did not speak to anybody about the issues being attributed to him. Ribadu has no course to speak ill of anyone because he has changed his platform. He is still in good terms with his friends in the APC just as he was relating well with his friends in the PDP that were hitherto divided by political parties.”

Meanwhile, the presidency had initially reacted to the alleged ‘comments’ by releasing a statement where it said Ribadu was seeking to attain relevance.

According to the presidency’s statement: “The Presidency totally rejects the false, hypocritical and self-serving claim by Mallam Nuhu Ribadu at a lecture in Kaduna on Saturday that Nigeria under President Goodluck Jonathan is a “sinking ship” in which the yearnings of the masses are being neglected by a tyrannical leadership.

 

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