Frontline rights group, the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law-Intersociety, says it has been vindicated regarding its position on the recent phone conversation between has US President Donald Trump and his Nigerian counterpart Muhammadu Buhari. Intersociety in a statement issued on Friday in Onitsha said a comparison of details of the conversation given by the White House and Aso Rock has exposed the lies of the latter.

The statement, signed by Intersociety Board Chairman Emeka Umeagbalasi; Head, Civil Liberties & Rule of Law Programme, Barr Obianuju Joy Igboeli; and Head, Democracy & Good Governance Programme, Barr Chinwe Umeche, reads in part:

“The latest call readout of President Donald Trump’s controversial diplomatic call to ailing President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, whose physical being has been quarantined elsewhere in the United Kingdom, has not only vindicated us but also confirmed that presidential falsehood in Nigeria has gone scientific and across borders.

“Recall that we had strongly opposed Nigeria’s Presidency statement, issued on Monday, 13^th February 2017 on account of its contents and circumstances of its issuance. We raised a defence of doubt and high probability of the contents of the presidential statement and its circumstances not being true.

“For instance, we observed that it is not an act of impossibility for a US President or any other influential world leader to engage in traditional diplomatic conversations or telephone calls with a Nigerian leader, even if he or she had come to power via a military coup, provided he or she is physically and mentally coherent to avoid committing grave diplomatic blunders in the cause of responding to his or her host-caller President.

“This is more so when the referenced diplomatic calls of President Donald Trump were not restricted to Nigeria’s President, but also extended to other four or five selected world leaders same period. In the case of President Muhammadu Buhari, he has been missing in office since end of January 2017; thereby strongly suggesting that all is not well with him health wise; considering also that there existed in his psycho-physical system as at July 2016 a terminal ailment.

“The worst of it all was and still is the Nigerian Presidency’s continued shrouding in secrecy and falsehood of President Buhari’s true state of health; leading to our serious doubt till date as whether he presently exists and responds on sound medical grounds or if he is physically and mentally coherent to the extent of responding coherently to diplomatic calls controversially put across to him by President Donald Trump.

“We also faulted the timing of such diplomatic call to President Buhari by President Donald Trump and held that such a call from White House ought to be pseudo diplomatic, commiserative and on health grounds (assuming President Buhari was with his senses in his sick bed or resort elsewhere in the UK). The most striking aspect of our strong doubt or opposition to the genuineness of the said call are a basketful of un-Trump-like statements falsely and wickedly credited to the US President as copiously contained in Nigeria’s Presidency statement, issued, signed and dated 13^th February 2017 by Deacon Femi Adesina. These we had in our two previous statements over the issue referred to as “Aso Rock imported and planted”.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Nigerian Presidency’s false account of the contents of the Trump-Buhari controversial phone call as contained in its 13^th February 2017 statement is reproduced below and analytically compared with the White House’s statement of 16^th February 2017 on call readout of the said controversial diplomatic conversation. The White House’s statement is also reproduced below:

“The full details of the press release of the US White House on call readout of the controversial diplomatic call of President Donald Trump to ailing President Muhammadu Buhari as published on 16^th February 2017 on the White House’s website:

“President Donald J. Trump spoke this week with President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria to discuss the strong cooperation between the United States and Nigeria, including on shared security, economic, and governance priorities.

“President Trump underscored the importance the United States places on its relationship with Nigeria, and he expressed interest in working with President Buhari to expand the strong partnership.

“The leaders agreed to continue close coordination and cooperation in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria and worldwide. President Trump expressed support for the sale of aircraft from the United States to support Nigeria’s fight against Boko Haram.

“President Trump thanked President Buhari for the leadership he has exercised in the region and emphasized the importance of a strong, secure, and prosperous Nigeria that continues to lead in the region and in international forums. Credit: http://www.thetrentonline.com/white-house-trump buhari/?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=email_this&utm_source=email

“The full details of the press release of Nigeria’s Presidency issued on Monday, 13^th February 2017 and signed by Deacon Femi Adesina:

“President Muhammadu Buhari this afternoon from London spoke to President Donald Trump on telephone at the request of the American President.
The conversation was cordial and President Buhari congratulated Trump on his election as President of the United States, and on his cabinet.
“The two leaders discussed ways to improve cooperation in the fight against terrorism through provision of necessary equipment.
“President Trump encouraged President Buhari to keep up the good work he is doing, and also commended him for the efforts made in rescuing 24 of the Chibok Girls and the strides being taken by the Nigerian military and the strides being taken by the Nigerian military

“President Trump assured the Nigerian President of US readiness to cut a new deal in helping Nigeria in terms of military weapons to combat terrorism.

“President Trump also invited President Buhari to Washington at a mutually convenient date. Credit: http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/trump-invites-buhari-to-washington/185063.html (Daily Trust, February 13, 2017).

“The wilful and wicked misrepresentation of facts and the Aso Rock imported and planted statements are contained in paragraphs four, five and six of the reproduced statement above and underlined.

“Apart from that, the two grossly contradictory statements from the White House and the Aso Rock have further thrown up three serious questions; which are: (a) who actually received and responded to President Donald Trump’s controversial diplomatic call to ailing President Muhammadu Buhari in his quarantined abode elsewhere in the UK? (b) Was it ailing President Buhari that received and responded to President Trump’s controversial diplomatic call or was it done through a third party (i.e. interpreter or translator)? (c) Where is the Aso Rock or Nigerian Presidency’s version of the call readout of the said controversial phone call? The three questions above are directed to the Presidency of Nigeria and their answers should be provided forthwith.

“We thank the White House for responding to our demand and that of other Nigerians. On the other hand, we strongly condemn President Donald Trump for committing such diplomatic blunders by putting such sensitive and important diplomatic call or engaging in such a diplomatic conversation with an ailing President in his sick bed or resort overseas with strong doubts of his capacity and capability to respond coherently and diplomatically. This is more so when the ailing Nigeria’s President has constitutionally transferred powers and functions to the acting President whose physical and mental coherence is not in any form of dispute.

“On account of the fact that the White House press release on the call readout has worsened speculations as whether ailing President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria is physically and mentally coherent or not, or even if he is alive, whether he can see, hear, speak and memorise correctly or coherently; we hereby graciously and respectfully invite other Nigerians within and across borders to immediately launch Bring-Back-Our-President Campaign; by calling, tweeting, emailing, whatsapping, wechatting, text-messaging, messaging and speaking to top officials of the Federal Government of Nigeria and leaders of the UK and USA including the Vice President, National Assembly leaders, security chiefs, Information Minister, Minister of Interior, Presidential spokespersons, Minister of Foreign Affairs, national leadership of APC, Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, British Prime Minister, Madam Theresa May and US President, Mr. Donald Trump.

“President Muhammadu Buhari must return or be returned to Nigeria immediately and upon his return, his first official schedule must be to address Nigerians in a live broadcast no matter how short his address lasts; and where he is seen addressing his fellow Nigerians by sign language or hand gesticulation, rather than clear voice address; or found to be unable to talk or hear; then medical and legislative steps have to be initiated immediately in accordance with Section 144(a) of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution as amended(i.e. for the purpose of establishing if President Buhari as a serving President has become incapable of discharging the functions of his office or found to be incapacitated).”

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