Presidency says no hassles with Tinubu

The Presidency on Saturday in Abuja described as false and sensational, a story by a leading newspaper to the effect that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was "under security watch over alleged plot against Buhari''.

A statement issued by Malam Garba Shehu, Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, said that Tinubu was not of any particular interest to any arm of the security services.

He, therefore, advised Nigerians to ignore the story because "it is false and baseless.’’

"We wish to confirm without any equivocation that the Asiwaju is not of any particular interest to any arm of the security services.

"The relationship between him and the President cannot be better than it is at the moment.

"According to the perverted logic of the newspaper, the respected leader of the APC is into a plot against the leader of the country.

"The presidency is unaware of any such plots against the President,' the statement said.

Garuba further said in the statement: ``I got on the phone a short while ago with retired Gen. Babagana Munguno, the National Security Adviser, and the Director-General of the SSS, Lawal Daura, who both dismissed the published report as acts of pure mischief.

"They are not aware of the Asiwaju being on any kind of watch.

"It would appear that a competition is on between two or three newspaper establishments on how best to breach the excellent relationship between the pillars of our party and government.

"So far, they have not made a headway and there is no indication that they will succeed in the future''.

He said that such reports, written without fairness and balance, could only take away from whatever was left of the credibility of these newspapers.

"The general public is hereby advised to ignore them on these reports,’’ the statement said.