By Suleiman Idris, Abuja
The Presidency has reacted to claims by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that prior to becoming Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari was banned from entering America on account of “religious considerations” for 15 years.
Atiku Abubakar made the claim in an interview published by an online newspaper on Saturday.
But reacting, Femi Adesina, Presidential Media Adviser, said “This fictive concoction being passed off as truth is mind boggling, coming from a former Number Two man of Nigeria, who should know the truth.
“At no time was President Buhari, as a private person, ever forbidden from entering any country in the world. Rather, the rest of the world has always held Muhammadu Buhari as a man of sterling qualities, strong on integrity, transparency and accountability. The same testimony is still borne of the Nigerian President by many world leaders today.
Adesina said it is curious that former VP Abubakar had been asked why he had not visited America for over a decade, something that had been a stubborn fact dogging his footsteps.
“Instead of answering directly, he begged the question, saying Buhari also had been disallowed from entering the same country for 15 years, before becoming President.
“We hereby make it resoundingly clear that what the former Vice President said only exists in the realm of his imagination. If he has issues to settle with American authorities, he should do so, rather than clutch at a straw.”
