REJOINDER: BADARU DID NOT STEP DOWN AS A PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRANT

Our attention has been drawn to some online publications claiming that the Executive Governor of Jigawa state Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar has stepped down as a presidential aspirant ahead of party primaries of the All Progressives Congress APC for Rotimi Amaechi, former minister of Transportation.

This is a deliberate attempt to misinform the general public as the governor has not in any time when he received the Former Minister said he has dropped or stepped down for any candidate. This is highly mischievous and unprofessional to quote the governor wrongly.

The Governor while responding to Mr. Amaechi said, “I know what we have done to succeed in the 2019 elections and not too much part of 2015, but I know our guest today has played a key role in bringing us into the government.

“One thing I respect with my big brother and friend is that what you see is what you get. He doesn’t lie, he doesn’t pretend, he says the truth and that’s the quality of leaders this country needs.

“Some of you might begin to think that Badaru is also a presidential aspirant, but I assure you that there is no contest between me and Amaechi. This is because we belong to one father and we respect one another and for sure we will move in one direction.

“We are both the children of President Muhammadu Buhari, who loves us dearly, respects us and in whatever we do, certainly, we must have his blessings and that blessing we respect.

“So Jigawa delegates, when you think of me, think of Amaechi because we are the children of President Buhari, so on that day, it’s either I run or he runs, but the two of us will never run against each other.”

These were the exact words of the Executive Governor of Jigawa state. There isn’t a single place where he said he has stepped down or he has dropped from the race. We strongly advise journalists and their platforms to always try and be just and fair in their reportage as this might have serious repercussions on their credibility.