Presidency: No plan to hand over power to military

The APC Presidential Campaign Council had on Saturday said a statement posted on Facebook by an official of the Presidency indicated that the government would rather hand over power to the military than allow Buhari to be inaugurated in the event that he wins the election.The APC based its claim on a Blackberry Messenger (BBM) […]

The APC Presidential Campaign Council had on Saturday said a statement posted on Facebook by an official of the Presidency indicated that the government would rather hand over power to the military than allow Buhari to be inaugurated in the event that he wins the election.
The APC based its claim on a Blackberry Messenger (BBM) statement by Deji Adeyanju, an official in the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Doyin Okupe which said:
“Buhari can never be President of Nigeria. Quote me any day any time. Instead of Buhari to become President of Nigeria, Nigeria would rather break. A military coup will even be allowed than for Buhari to become the president of a democratic Nigeria quote me any day, any time.”
However, Mr Bamidele Salam, head, Media Relations, Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Doyin Okupe, in a statement yesterday dismissed the claim as false. He however did not say whether Mr Adeyanju was an official of the SSA’s office or not.
“We categorically deny that this statement was ever made by anyone in this office. The APC claim is absolutely false, mischievous and malicious.
“The Senior Special Assistant to the president on Public Affairs personally handles his Twitter, @doyinokupe and other social media platforms and continues to use such as a legitimate medium of advancing the cause of democratic good governance and institutional integrity which President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan represents.
“Dr Okupe has never and will never associate himself with thoughts or actions which run contrary to the tenets of democracy, rule of law and the right of Nigerians to freely elect those who govern them.
Salam said the APC should focus more on clearing the name of its presidential candidate “from the mess of not having requisite academic certificates and incapacity to govern Nigeria rather than seek a cheap diversion from a phantom post by some persons on the social media”.
He added: “We remain committed to running campaigns based on those issues which are pertinent to the growth and stability of the Nigerian nation and will not condescend to the known antics of the opposition party in blackmail, falsehood and crass opportunism”.