Former Vice President, Alhaji Namadi Sambo, on Thursday described as “mischievous and unsolicited”, posts made on Facebook and other social media accounts purportedly operated in his name by unidentified persons.Sambo, in a statement, he personally signed and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna disowned the Facebook account.
“My attention has been drawn to unsolicited acts by some unscrupulous political jobbers that have sponsored and spread messages on Facebook and other social media platforms, purportedly conveying messages from my person,” he said.
NAN reports that the former Vice president was quoted in a Facebook post as saying that he was in support of the aborted #RevolutionNow engineered by Mr Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters now in DSS detention.
The messages were posted on a Facebook account allegedly said to be owned and operated by the former vice president Sambo.Some of the messages written in Hausa accused President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration of failure and could not achieve anything.Some other messages posted on purported Facebook account accused the president of illegally detaining Col. Sambo Dasuki, former National Security Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan and leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigerian (IMN), Malam Ibrahim El-ZakzaKy and his wife Zeenat.
However, the former VP said: “I wish to make it public that the said messages are clearly the handiwork of mischief makers, who are bent on creating confusion and disaffection to overheat the polity with the aim of achieving their selfish political motives and to bring my personality to disrepute.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I do not own or operate any social media account, Facebook or any other platform. “For the records, the general public should note that I have never made any post, sponsored or ask anyone to do so on my behalf, directly or indirectly.”
I have never delegated anyone to design and or circulate any post on Facebook or any social media platforms.“I have taken steps to report the account to the management of Facebook as well as to alert relevant security agencies to monitor and track those behind this dreadful activity for prosecution,” Sambo said.
He urged Nigerians to disregard the social media accounts and the messages on them.◊The former Vice President also urged Nigerians to be patriotic and be cautious of fake news and hate speech that pervade the social media lately
