Report alleging ₦500bn offer to split S’South votes false, baseless – Jonathan

n n

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has debunked a media report alleging he was offered ₦500 billion to contest against the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Peter Obi, to split South-South votes.

n

Special Adviser on Media to Jonathan, Dr Ikechukwu Eze, in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, described the publication as entirely false and baseless.

n

Eze called on Nigerians to disregard what he described as a fabricated report published by a “little-known website” which “falsely” attributed a statement to Jonathan claiming that he was offered such amount.

n

He noted that the fabrication failed to meet the most basic standards of journalism.

n

“The report failed to state where or when Jonathan allegedly made such a claim, who was present or who purportedly made the alleged offer,” he said.

n

Eze noted that the publication bore all the hallmarks of fake news deliberately crafted to mislead the public and drag the former president into unnecessary political controversy.

n

While acknowledging that the approach of a political season often brings a surge in misinformation and false attributions, he, however, urged Nigerians to disregard the report in its entirety and verify sensational claims before sharing them.

n n