{"id":7870,"date":"2013-08-06T22:45:01","date_gmt":"2013-08-06T22:45:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disnaija.com\/nigeria-news\/jonathan-refutes-denial-of-access-to-babangida\/"},"modified":"2013-08-06T22:45:01","modified_gmt":"2013-08-06T22:45:01","slug":"jonathan-refutes-denial-of-access-to-babangida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disnaija.com\/jonathan-refutes-denial-of-access-to-babangida\/","title":{"rendered":"Jonathan Refutes Denial of Access to Babangida"},"content":{"rendered":"
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President Goodluck Jonathan has denied being turned down after requesting to visit former president, Ibrahim Babanginda to breakfast with him in Minna, as published as published by a newspaper, Peoples Daily.<\/p>\n

The president described the publication as an attempt to sow the seeds of discord in the country, and demanded its retraction.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mischievous lead report in the Peoples Daily newspaper today that President Goodluck Jonathan sought to visit former President Ibrahim Babangida in Minna to show him \u2018the spirit of comradeship\u2019 during Ramadan is completely untrue,\u201d Special Adviser to the president on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati wrote in a release.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough President Jonathan participates in the Ramadan fast every year in solidarity with Nigerians of the Islamic faith, he has never, as Vice President or President of the country, visited the residence of any individual to break his fast.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cRather, it has been the President\u2019s custom to regularly invite Moslems from all strata of society to break their fast with him at the Presidential Villa during the month of Ramadan.\u201d<\/p>\n

The statement added that In keeping with that established practice, President Jonathan has been busy hosting\u00a0 Moslems, most evenings of the current Ramadan season.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cAs much as he respects and holds former President Babangida in high regard, President Jonathan has never indicated any interest in visiting him at Minna during the current Ramadan. Therefore, there could not have been any \u2018turning down\u2019 of a visit by President Jonathan by the former president,\u201d it went on.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe condemn the decision of the editors of the Peoples Daily to publish such arrant falsehood in spite of our vigorous rebuttal as a further manifestation of a continuing effort to sow the seeds of discord in the polity.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough the newspaper cites a phantom \u2018reliable presidency source\u2019 and \u2018a source close to the former president\u2019 to buttress its fictitious report, the editors of Peoples Daily know full well that they can never prove the veracity of the false claim that President Jonathan either offered to break his fast with General Babangida in Minna or was turned down by the former president.\u201d<\/p>\n

The president therefore demanded \u201ca full retraction of the totally false report, which demeans the Office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and an apology by the newspaper.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Posted in Nigeria News. <\/a>A DisNaija.Com<\/a> network.<\/p>\n

Source: Huhu Online<\/p>\n

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