I didn’t tell Tinubu who to appoint from Bayelsa — Jonathan

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has denied any move to influence the nomination of a minister from Bayelsa State in the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying some politicians in the state might have wrongly misinterpreted his recent visit to the Presidential Villa.

A group known as the All Progressives Congress (APC) Elders Council in Bayelsa State yesterday raised alarm over the alleged move by the ex-Nigerian leader to influence the nomination of a ministerial slot from Bayelsa State to President Tinubu.

Jonathan in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr Ikechukwu Eze, said his recent visit to the presidential villa was to brief Tinubu, who has just been elected as the Chairman of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, on the recent developments in the sub-region; himself is the Chairman of ECOWAS Council of the Wise.

He urged Nigerians to ignore what he termed ‘mischief makers’ and their web of fake news because of the danger they pose to the peace and healthy growth of our nation.

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He said: “Our attention has been drawn to a strange allegation in the media claiming that former President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is seeking to nominate a minister from Bayelsa State for the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“We would have ordinarily ignored the falsehood, given that neither the authors who are shadowy characters nor their nebulous organisation, Bayelsa APC Elders Council, which is unknown to the structure of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, command any credibility.

“However, we have continued to receive calls from friends and well-wishers who are concerned that some innocent Nigerians might be misled by the duplicitous fabrication; hence this rebuttal.

“We state without equivocation that the publication is false, malicious, preposterous, and unnecessary. It is instructive that the authors who are quick to spin such an unfounded narrative could neither provide any clarification on the nature of the alleged consultations nor name the beneficiary of the envisaged nomination.

“While we once again dismiss the claim as untrue, we advise Nigerians to ignore mischief makers and their web of fake news because of the danger they pose to the peace and healthy growth of our nation,” he said.