Former President Goodluck Jonathan has denied any move to influence the nomination of a minister from Bayelsa State in the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

A group known as All Progressives Congress (APC) Elders Council in Bayelsa State had raised alarm over the alleged move by the ex-Nigerian leader to influence the nomination of a ministerial slot from Bayelsa.

But Jonathan, while reacting to the allegation, said some politicians in the state might have wrongly interpreted his recent visits to the Presidential Villa.

In a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr Ikechukwu Eze, the former President said the visitswere to brief President Bola Tinubu, who has just been elected as the Chairman of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, on the recent developments in the sub-region, since Jonathan himself is the Chairman of ECOWAS Council of the Wise.

He urged Nigerians to ignore what he termed ‘mischief makers’ and their web of fake news because of the danger they pose to the peace and healthy growth of our nation.

He said, “Our attention has been drawn to a strange allegation in the media claiming that former President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is seeking to nominate a minister from Bayelsa State for the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“We would have ordinarily ignored the falsehood, given that neither the authors who are shadowy characters nor their nebulous organisation, Bayelsa APC Elders Council, which is unknown to the structure of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, command any credibility. However, we have continued to receive calls from friends and well-wishers who are concerned that some innocent Nigerians might be misled by the duplicitous fabrication; hence this rebuttal.

“We state without equivocation that the publication is false, malicious, preposterous and unnecessary. It is instructive that the authors of the hackery who are quick to spin such unfounded narrative could neither provide any clarification on the nature of the alleged consultations nor name the beneficiary of the envisaged nomination.

“We can only guess that a handful of faltering low profile politicians might have wrongly misinterpreted Jonathan’s recent visit to the Presidential Villa in Abuja, even when the former President, who is ECOWAS mediator in Mali and Chairman of ECOWAS Council of the Wise, clearly explained that he had gone to brief President Bola Tinubu, who has just been elected as the Chairman of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, on the recent developments in the sub-region.

“The publication is simply a tactless ramble by some benighted politicians seeking to drawattention to their hopeless plight by raising malicious allegations against the former President. Howbeit, they have failed in this bid because most astute politicians within and outside Bayelsa State are well aware of Jonathan’s selfless and exemplary disposition to politics and statesmanship. Such people will never subscribe to the cheap blackmail from the so-called Bayelsa APC Elders Council.

“Why do we think that their futile antics sounded familiar? It is because the spurious allegation seems to havebeen cut out of the same worn fabric woven by those unfortunate politicians who regularly hurled the most acerbic missiles at Dr. Jonathan, while he was in office as President.

“Today, they remain pitiable characters because all their efforts to sully the reputation of the former President have been in vain, as his image has continued to soar both locally and internationally.

“While we once again dismiss the claim as untrue, we advise Nigerians to ignore mischief makers and their web of fake news becauseof the danger they pose to the peace and healthy growth of our nation,” he added. (Daily Trust)