Former presidential candidate Oby Ezekwesili on Monday denied saying the kidnap of girls from a school in Chibok, Borno State was carried out to destroy former President Goodluck Jonathan’s chances of election.
The girls were kidnapped on April 14, 2014 at Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.
Reports in blogs on Sunday claimed Ezekwesili, a co-convener of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) movement which was formed to advocate for the release of the schoolgirls, said the suspended managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Hadiza Usman was sent to the project by “Fulani leaders” who wanted Mr Jonathan out of power for President Muhammadu Buhari to win the election.
“I was doing ‘Bring Back Our Girls’ Project with Hadiza Usman Bala in 2014. I didn’t know she was sent to the project by Fulani leaders to tarnish the image of Goodluck Jonathan for Muhammadu Buhari to win an election,” the report claimed Ezekwesili said.
“Immediately after the election, she left the project and was given appointments as MD Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). Now I believe that ‘Chibok Girls Kidnapping’ was planned to tarnish Goodluck Jonathan’s image for Muhammadu Buhari to win election.”
However, Ezekwesili’s spokesperson Ozioma Ubabukoh in a statement discredited the claims.
“Ezekwesili never said and can never make such egregiously false statement on the empathetic campaign she led for the rescue of the abducted Chibok Girls. Ezekwesili has commenced legal actions for libel against media outlets and individuals who publish and disseminate this disgusting fake news that was fabricated by those who wickedly continue to deny the failure of the Federal Government in 2014 to swiftly respond and rescue ChibokGirls,” Ubabukor said.
“We urge members of the public to, please, ignore the patently false, fictional and fake news being peddled by those who have refused to acknowledge the injustice done to the Chibok secondary schoolgirls, even seven years after the tragedy occurred. Again, Ezekwesili did not and can never describe the #BringBackOurGirls campaign, which she co-led to secure justice and rescue for 219 abducted ChibokGirls as a “project to tarnish anyone” for electoral purposes. The fraudulent statement is an absolute and wicked lie, which all reasonable persons should disregard.”
Ubakukor said the original author and those who circulated the report have already been identified and reported to Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms.
