May 07, (THEWILL) – Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, has denied reports that he described the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as a drug lord.
According to reports, the retired General purportedly said: “It is an insult to the Military to have a known drug lord as C-in-C of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.”
Reacting to the report, Magashi in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mohammad Abdulkadri, said “the myopic, diabolic and despotic publication can be traced to anti-democratic forces.”
Magashi, accused disgruntled elements of trying to drag his reputation and that of the nation’s “apolotical military” into disparaging Tinubu.
The minister recalled he was one of the first members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) that congratulated the President-elect.
He condemned the “concoction of fake news” against him at a time he is busy supervising the military in aid of civil authority to defend Nigeria’s democracy.
“The Minister’s unblemished pedigree speaks volume as a loyal member of APC alongside being a credible elder statesman in the same party with the President-elect”, he said, adding that no propaganda or blackmail targeted at him and the military will deter them from dealing with any person or group whose agenda is to disrupt the May 29 inauguration.
