Former vice presidential candidate, Peter Obi, says he did not donate N1 billion to the coronavirus (COVID-19) relief fund.
Rumours have been spreading on social media that Mr Obi made the donation.
However, in a statement issued on Tuesday by his media office and signed by Valentine Obienyem, Obi dismissed the rumours, saying “I have not donated to the fund.”
Reacting to the list of purported donors to the fund, which has gone viral, in which his name appears as number 33 and N1 billion indicated as the amount he has allegedly donated, Obi said the issue at hand was “so scary and of great importance to the world, especially our dear country, to be tainted by any manner of fake news.”
He implored purveyors of fake news to desist from that.
“As a Nigerian, I am deeply worried about the situation in the world, especially what Nigeria and her citizens are going through. I had earlier made a case for the vulnerable and advised that their plight should be a priority in any decision on how to fight the pandemic,” Obi said.
The former Anambra State governor thanked Nigerians that have in one way or the other contributed to the on-going efforts to check the spread of COVID-9 in the country and to bring relief to the victims of the virus.
He urged more support from individuals and organisations according to their abilities, to tackle what he described as “a global catastrophe”.
Obi assured of his commitment to be part of the solution to the scourge by, among other things, making his own contribution in his own way.