FORMER President Goodluck Jonathan has debunked a media report alleging that he was offered ₦500 billion to contest against the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, in a move aimed at splitting South-South votes.
News Point Nigeria reports that Jonathan’s Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Ikechukwu Eze, dismissed the publication on Sunday in Abuja, describing it as entirely false, baseless, and deliberately misleading.
Eze urged Nigerians to disregard what he described as a fabricated report published by a “little-known website” which falsely attributed the statement to the former president.
He stressed that the report did not meet basic journalistic standards and failed to provide essential details such as where or when the alleged statement was made, or who was present at the time.
According to him, the publication was crafted to mislead the public and drag Jonathan into unnecessary political controversy.
“The report failed to state where or when Jonathan allegedly made such a claim, who was present or who purportedly made the alleged offer,” he said.
Eze further noted that the report carried all the hallmarks of fake news, especially one designed to thrive in the build-up to an election season.
While acknowledging that political periods often come with a rise in misinformation and false attributions, he urged Nigerians to verify sensational claims before sharing them.
He added that the former president remains focused and unbothered by attempts to draw him into political distractions.
