Buhari Is In-charge – Presidency
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said on Sunday that President Muhammadu Buhari is in control of his administration.
The presidential aide was responding to comments and an editorial criticising the President over increasing allegations of corruption in his administration.
Shehu said in a statement he made available to journalists titled “President Buhari’s critics should appreciate due process.”
“As many detractors have done lately, these influencers, celebrated columnists and editorial comments do no more than endorse the oppositions utterly wrong and fallacious position that the President is not in charge of his government.
“Sometimes, we are forced to wonder whether some writers are mindful of the implication of words for the strategic and territorial interests of the nation.
“An retrenchment culture of dissent in our country is not something that anyone, not least a Buhari Presidency wants to stamp down.
“The fact that these baseless and appalling mischievous attacks can freely be aired is itself evidence of the right to freedom of expression prevailing in the country today.
“Whether it is Ibrahim Magu, Godswill Akpabio, NDDC, NSITF and the others, Nigerians are bound to hold differing opinions, write letters, opinion columns, editorials and even stage lawful protests.
“What is sometimes worrisome is that several of these comments, disguised as objective criticisms are merely speaking the language of the opposition-the people who ruined the country during their 16years of corruption on an industrial scale.
“These detractors pick up isolated issues like the ones in the EFCC, NDDC and incidents of crime and corruption which have been with the country for years, and without any serious effort to uncover them, paint them a phenomena orchestrated and happening because President Buhari’s administration has decided to pursue cases of suspected wrongdoing in the anti-corruption agency, pension funds, NDDC, and other government agencies, ” he wrote.
He added, “The government was the first to point out the obvious embarrassment that potential acts of wrongdoing by the EFCC leadership would cause the administration.
“To cover up and not order audits and investigations as the President did would amount to a historic betrayal of the mandate and the faith placed in him by Nigerians.
“President Buhari’s integrity, uprightness and probity are intact and well known. Let us remind these so called editorial writers that ECOWAS, African Union and the international community at large recognised President Buhari as Champion of the Anti-corruption fight in Africa.
“As the leader of the country, President Buhari fully understands and bears the full weight of the solemn oaths he swore to defend the nation’s constitution, it’s citizens and territory.
“Disinformation is not a viable option for opposition. The Buhari’s government has done nothing to warrant these criticisms. “
