The Presidency has raised the alarm over a plot by critics of the Buhari administration, to paint the president black using unsubstantiated claims.
The concern was made in a statement by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, on Friday. Adesina said these enemies of the Buhari administration planned to use certain media outfits, especially online media, to spread false claims against the President, by labeling him as a nepotic leader following the recent fracas between Fulani and some States in the Southwest.
Buhari has been called all kinds of names and was once again, accused of nepotism by Catholic bishop, Matthew Kukah, during a controversial Christmas sermon.
Kukah had said the Buhari administration is leading the country "into darkness" by "deliberately sacrificing the dreams of those who voted" him to power.
Kukah added saying, “Every honest Nigerian knows that there is no way any non-Northern Muslim President could have done a fraction of what President Buhari has done by his nepotism and gotten away with it.
“There would have been a military coup a long time ago or we would have been at war."
His sermon raised dust from Muslims who accused the cleric of indirectly, attacking Islam in the name of criticizing the Buhari administration.
The Presidency has been wary of such allegations and believes those accusing the President of being neporic are doing so for political reasons. The statement also says the timing is no coincidence, and shows that the primary intent of the sponsors of the campaign is to further escalate religious and ethnic tension in the country.
“There is compelling reason to alert the nation of another orchestrated smear campaign against President Muhammadu Buhari, using some online newspapers and blogs.
“The campaign, scheduled to be launched anytime soon through editorials and purported special investigative stories, is designed to further exacerbate tension in the land, by portraying the President as pandering to ethnic and other primordial tendencies, contrary to his pledge to belong to all Nigerians.
“Impeccable security findings indicate that those behind the plot have procured online blogs and newspapers, which are to launch coordinated publications, alleging subjugation and suppression of a particular religion and ethnic groups.
“A specific medium has so far contacted some opinion leaders, especially those very critical of President Buhari.
“Part of the planned publication is to make unwary readers believe that the President has continually used the powers of his office to shield and protect an ethnic group against crimes of murder, kidnappings, rape and banditry in the southern, middle belt and some northern states.
“The publication will also refer Nigerians to a 58-page document, which chronicles purported atrocities of the ethnic group in the South since 2017, all of which it claims the Presidency has turned blind eyes to.
“Again, the hatchet job will allege that the President has continued to place members of his ethnic nationality in sensitive positions, so as to confer undue advantage on them. This allegation is by no means supported with reasonable facts and figures.”