Presidency reacts to report of Buhari’s aide testing positive for COVID-19

The Presidency has reacted to a report that an aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, Sarki Abba, had contracted COVID-19.

A report by an online newspaper had claimed that the aide to Buhari tested positive for COVID-19.

However, in a series of tweets on Wednesday, Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant (SSA), on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu denied the report.

He wrote on his his Twitter handle, @GarShehu:

“The Presidency wishes to advise Nigerians to ignore determined agents of fake news bent on spreading false stories to the public.

“We react to the utter falsehood and disgraceful lies, a report by so-called digital newspaper which, Wednesday, claimed that President Muhammadu Buhari’s aide, Sarki Abba is COVID-19 positive.

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“This report is sheer fabrication and brazen effort by the online news medium to mislead the public.

“Upon the directive of doctors and scientists and supervision of Professor Ibrahim Gambari, the Chief of Staff, all staff working for and around the President, are routinely and rigorously checked for the virus.

“The Senior Special Assistant, Social Affairs and Domestic Matters, Sarki Abba, always tested negative.”

Shehu, therefore, called on the general public to ignore “such stories that are intended to mislead the people and create unnecessary anxiety about the safety of the President.”

He added, “Don’t let yourself be manipulated by any medium that thrives on yellow journalism and specialises in peddling fake news in the desperate quest for the market and donor money.”

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