By Francesca Iwambe
The Presidency has debunked reports that President Muhammadu Buhari is unwilling to hand over to the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, at the end of his tenure on May 29, saying the government is already in transition phase.
In a statement made available to journalists on Friday, by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, Buhari condemned the news as false and misleading.
“The Presidency wishes to denounce as outrageous and fake, and condemns the fake news brigade for attributing a false quote to President Muhammadu Buhari and circulating it.
“How can you vigorously campaign for somebody, vote for him and then say you won't hand over to him? This beggars belief”.
Shehu described the premise presented by an online medium as “pretty pathetic” adding that its ownership is “politically partisan in today's politics, in fact a loser in the presidential election”.
He alleged that instead of talking about issues, the platform repeatedly sold lies in the hope that people believe them as truth.
“The government is already in transition phase. The Transition Committee, made up of representatives of the outgoing administration and the incoming one is meeting on an almost daily basis planning the handover to the Tinubu/Shettima administration,” he said.
“Thirteen committees as offshoots of the main committee, some, to arrange military drills and pulling out of President Buhari, are either all at work or soon to be. So far, everything is going very well and there is no indication of any hitches.”
Shehu added that the Daura community has begun their preparations to receive their son back after the “successful administration of the country for two terms of eight years.”
For his part, Buhari is eager to return home to enjoy his retirement, the presidential spokesman said.
