Former President Goodluck Jonathan has dismissed as false a media report alleging that he was offered ₦500 billion to contest against Peter Obi, describing the claim as a fabricated attempt to drag him into political controversy.
The denial was conveyed in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by Jonathan’s Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Ikechukwu Eze, who urged Nigerians to disregard the publication.
Eze said the report, which allegedly originated from a little-known website, falsely claimed that Jonathan had been offered the huge sum to enter the presidential race in order to split votes in the South-South against Obi, the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
According to him, the story was entirely baseless and did not meet the basic standards of credible journalism.
“The report failed to state where or when Jonathan allegedly made such a claim, who was present or who purportedly made the alleged offer,” Eze said.
He maintained that the publication lacked credibility and was deliberately designed to mislead the public.
“The report is false, baseless and a deliberate attempt to drag the former president into political controversy,” he stated.
Eze further described the publication as a fabricated story aimed at linking Jonathan to claims he never made, insisting that there was no truth whatsoever in the allegations.
The presidential aide also expressed concern over what he described as the growing spread of misinformation as political activities begin to gather momentum ahead of future elections.
He urged members of the public to exercise caution when consuming and sharing politically sensitive reports.
“We call on Nigerians to disregard the report in its entirety and verify sensational claims before sharing them,” Eze said.
Jonathan’s camp maintained that the former president had never made the statements attributed to him and reiterated that the report should be treated as fake news intended to create unnecessary political tension.
