[Mhiz Rebecca]

The Federal Government is investigating sources of
“subversive messages” on President Muhammadu
Buhari’s health.
Purveyors of such messages will face “the full wrath
of the law”, the government said yesterday.
For the second time in one week, the social media
was yesterday awash with rumours on the President’s
state of health, creating the impression of an
orchestration of the issue.
Last week, a photograph of the President watching
television in a sitting room in London was made
available by the Presidency, after it denied that the
President had passed on.
On Tuesday, factional chairman of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) Senator Ahmed Makarfi
accused some All Progressives Congress (APC)
leaders, who, he said, are interested in contesting
certain positions in 2019, of being behind the rumour.
But Minister of Information Lai Mohammed yesterday
urged Nigerians to disregard such messages being
circulated via text messaging and the social media on
the President’s health which he said were being
orchestrated by those who felt threatened by the
emerging order. He urged Nigerians “not to panic”.
He said there was “no iota of truth in the messages
being circulated on the health of the President, who is
hale and hearty, and the purported emergency
meetings of the governors in Abuja or anywhere.”
He said the naysayers had also “resorted to the use
of ethnicity and religion as tools to divide Nigerians,
overheat the polity and cause panic among the
citizenry.”
He said in addition, those behind the messages were
“using fake news and disinformation to distort
government activities.”
Mohammed said in a statement: “While opposition and
criticism are all part of democracy, the crafting and
circulation of subversive materials and scare-
mongering are not, hence the full wrath of the law will
be brought to bear on those who are bent on
subverting the state.
‘’The source/sources of the fabricated messages are
already being investigated and the authors should
prepare to face the consequences of their actions.
‘’The emerging trend of resorting to destabilisation
and scare-mongering is not unexpected, considering
this government’s clampdown on the corrupt
elements in the society, the plugging of all financial
leaks which has derailed the gravy train of the looters
of public treasury and the enthronement of probity
and transparency in the polity.
‘’While we will neither stifle press freedom nor abridge
the citizens’ right to express themselves freely,
whether through criticism or protests, the security
agencies will neither allow any resort to violence nor a
willful subversion of the state for whatever reason.”
The minister also told reporters after the Federal
Executive Council (FEC) meeting the the rumour on
the President’s health is a “silly thing”.
He said there were more pertinent issues to discuss in
the country than indulging in irrelevances.
He said: “I don’t want to lend my voice to a very silly
thing. I will not join this debate. I think there are more
serious issues of state to discuss than this issue.
“It’s only in this part of the world that you wake up in
the morning and you say the president of the country
is dead. I will not join that kind of debate at all.”
President Buhari left Nigeria for the United Kingdom
last Thursday on vacation. He is also billed to undergo
medical check-up while on the trip.
The Presidency also yesterday denied insinuation that
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo was being pressured
to resign.
A statement by the Special Adviser to the President
on Political Affairs, Mr. Femi Ojudu, said it was not
true that Osinbajo was being held hostage by some
governors who were said to have demanded his
resignation from office.
According to the statement titled “State of the
Nation,” Ojudu said Osinbajo was at his desk in his
office and performing his routine functions, having
earlier presided over a meeting of the Federal
Executive Council (FEC).
The claim, he said was ridiculous. Ojudu urged the
people to desist from carrying fake news.
He said: “I have read many ridiculous stories saying
the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo is being held
hostage by some governors who are trying to compel
him to resign.
“I have equally received several calls regarding this.
The story is simply not true. It is a fabrication. Don’t
be a purveyor of fake news .
“The Vice President is behind his desk carrying out his
task. The Federal Executive Council presided over by
him has just ended and he has been busy receiving
visitors and holding meetings.”
Senate President Bukola Saraki also caution rumour
mongers against dragging him into the matter.
In a statement, he said: “My attention has been drawn
to a speculation on some online media about
supposed meeting of some governors who held Vice
President Yemi Osinbajo to ransom and sought for
Senate President Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki to take
over the Presidency.
“My first initial reaction was to ignore this empty
rumour but after being inundated with calls from
across the country and abroad, it became necessary
for me to make clarifications from our own end.
“It is a good thing that the Presidency had dismissed
the speculation and showed that there is no
substance to it. However, i feel it should be known
that those behind this baseless, empty and
unintelligent mischief are those who do not love this
country.
“Such suggestions as contained in the speculation
can only bring ill-will, disunity and crisis to the
country and i therefore advise the sponsors to desist
immediately. More importantly, these trouble makers
should refrain from linking Senator Saraki’s name to
their evil plot.”