In what appears to be yet another coordinated campaign of misinformation, the Presidency has debunked recent fake reports suggesting that Vice President Kashim Shettima, GCON, was denied access to the Presidential Villa.
Describing the claims as not only "mischievous and totally fabricated" but also "the wildest expression of wishful thinking," the State House has dismissed the publication as a desperate attempt to paint a picture of disunity within the highest echelons of government.
According to a press statement issued by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications (Office of the Vice President), the viral story alleging that armed military units barricaded the Vice President from entering the Villa is "a tale so far removed from reality it can only be entertained by those unfamiliar with the inner workings of the Nigerian government."
Nkwocha reaffirmed that nothing of the sort ever happened and stressed that the Vice President remains unwaveringly focused on his constitutional responsibilities and continues to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, in delivering on their mandate to the Nigerian people.
The Presidency noted a growing trend of "multidimensional falsehoods" aimed at sowing seeds of discord within the administration, including the recent circulation of unauthorized campaign posters. However, it maintained that the efforts of these mischief-makers have been in vain.
"These fairy tales serve no purpose beyond mischief and distraction. The bond between the President and Vice President is one built on mutual respect and a shared commitment to national progress. Those who peddle such stories underestimate this bond at their own peril," the statement read.
The Vice President, it emphasized, does not have the luxury of time for distractions born out of the imagination of troublemakers, nor will he ever partake in what it termed a “media circus.”
While commending patriotic Nigerians who continue to resist fake news and support the administration, the State House urged journalists to rely on credible sources and avoid amplifying sensational claims.
The Presidency concluded with a firm assurance: “No amount of falsehood or manufactured tension can shake the foundation of the democratic mandate entrusted to this government. Not under the watch of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.”