Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-rufai, has denied reports claiming he supports a Southern presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 general elections.
These reports, which circulated widely on social media, suggested that El-rufai, a key figure in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), had abandoned support for Atiku Abubakar, a Northern presidential aspirant, in favor of backing Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate from the South.
In a statement released on Monday, El-rufai called the report an “untrue claim, despite its virality.” He said he never made such statements in any speech, interview, or social media post.
“I have my own verifiable platforms on social media where I speak my mind and own my opinions,” he said.
He emphasized that no views should be attributed to him unless they come directly from his social media accounts or interviews with respected media outlets.
El-rufai also said it is wrong to attribute opinion articles from other writers that he may share on his platforms as his own views. He warned against the misuse of social media to spread fake news and irresponsible politicking.
He added, “The wilful attribution to me of claims I did not make by a fake news platform is no excuse to treat such platforms with any seriousness.”
El-rufai stressed the importance of verifying information before sharing it, especially in today’s environment of misinformation.
“In this instance, a few senior editors seem to have ignored this duty. Society loses if media leaders join the most irresponsible actors on social media in the unedifying olympics of fiction and fakery. Everyone should live up to their responsibility.”
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