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Garba Shehu, Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity has said the comment credited to Mamman Daura, Buhari’s nephew does not represent the position of the President.
Shehu disclosed this in a statement on Saturday titled “Malam Mamman’s views are his own, and he has said so -Presidency”
Recall that Daura had in an interview with BBC Hausa Service monitored in Abuja said zoning should be jettisoned for the 2023 presidency, rather emphasis should be placed on competence.
Reacting to the statement, Shehu said as stated by Daura, his view represents his personal opinion and not that of the President, Mahammadu Buhari or his regime.
The statement read, “We have received numerous requests for comments on the interview granted by Malam Mamman Daura, President Muhammadu Buhari’s nephew, to the BBC Hausa Service.
“It is important that we state from the outset that as mentioned by the interviewee, the views expressed were personal to him and did not, in any way, reflect that of either the President or his administration.
“At age 80, and having served as editor and managing director of one of this country’s most influential newspapers, the New Nigerian, certainly, Malam Mamman qualifies as an elder statesman with a national duty to hold perspectives and disseminate them as guaranteed under our constitution and laws of the land. He does not need the permission or clearance of anyone to exercise this right.
“In an attempt to circulate the content of the interview to a wider audience, the English translation clearly did no justice to the interview, which was granted in Hausa, and as a result, the context was mixed up and new meanings were introduced and/or not properly articulated.
“The issues discussed during the interview, centred around themes on how the country could birth an appropriate process of political dialogue, leading to an evaluation, assessment and a democratic outcome that would serve the best interest of the average Nigerian irrespective of where they come from.
“These issues remain at the heart of our evolving and young democracy, and as a veteran journalist, scholar and statesman, Malam Mamman has seen enough to add his voice to those of many other participants.”
Source: Punch
This post was written by Obiajulu Joel Nwolu.
The views expressed here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect our views and opinions.