The presidency has refuted claims that President Bola Tinubu’s nationwide broadcast speech leaked prior to its scheduled address on Sunday morning.
This issue had generated considerable buzz among Nigerians, with many asserting that the speech had been prematurely released online.
In response, Temitope Ajayi, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, clarified via a post on X that it is incorrect to suggest the speech leaked. Ajayi explained that it is standard practice to provide advanced or embargoed copies of presidential speeches for preview and editorial production purposes.
Ajayi stated, “This is not correct. Advanced/embargoed copies of speeches are given ahead of time for previews and editorial production, depending on the time the address will be made public.”
He noted that President Tinubu’s speech concerning the nationwide protests was distributed to editors on Saturday night, aligning with global standards. Ajayi urged Nigerians not to overcomplicate or overemphasize simple issues, stressing that the practice is common and accepted worldwide.
In his post, Ajayi emphasized, “In this case of yesterday in Nigeria, the embargoed copy was released to editors yesterday night. That is the global practice and standard. We should not complicate and overflog simple issues.”
