From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Presidency has described as fake news an alleged plot to sack Festus Keyamo as spokesman of the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) Presidential Campaign Council.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity Garba Shehu, in his reaction to State House Correspondents, said the news is fake, maintaining that both President Muhammadu Buhari and the party’s presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, are satisfied with Keyamo’s work as campaign council’s spokesman.
Some online media outlets had earlier on Monday published a news item, claiming that President Buhari and an ‘Aso Rock cabal’ had been displeased by some of Keyamo’s statements in media interviews, which had allegedly been unfavourable to the image of the administration.
The online medium which claimed the news came from a ‘presidential source’ said President Buhari’s grouse with Keyamo, who is also a serving minister in his cabinet as Minister of State for Labour and Employment, was making comments that de-market the administration, while speaking in interviews as the party’s campaign council’s spokesman.
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In reaction to the so-called plot, Shehu alleged that there are conspiracies by some unnamed elements to defame the leaders of the party and create a clog in the wheel of the presidential campaign.
“The news that President Muhammadu Buhari has called for the removal of Festus Keyamo, SAN as a spokesperson of the APC Presidential Campaign Council is fake news,” he said.
“Both President Buhari and the presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, are happy with the job Keyamo doing, and with the general set up of the impending campaign, which has already become an example for other parties.
“We are aware that conspiracy theories are being hatched with a ripple effect to defame our party leaders and hold back the campaign. Supporters of our candidates should not pay attention to ‘news’ from these fountains of false narratives,” Shehu said.