The Imo State Government has dismissed posters of Governor Hope Uzodinma portraying him as the running mate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), National Chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, in the 2027 presidential election.
The government described the posters as fake, malicious, and aimed at causing disaffection between Uzodinma and President Bola Tinubu.
According to a press statement issued by the State Commissioner for Information, Public Orientation and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, the circulation of the posters on social media is the handiwork of mischief makers.
He disclosed that at no time had the governor contemplated running for such an office.
According to Emelumba, “Everyone in Nigeria is quite aware that Uzodimma is one of the fiercest supporters of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu and has canvassed national support for him to succeed in his assignment.
“It is both laughable and preposterous. Apart from the governor being engrossed in discharging his second term mandate, he has also been supporting Mr President, so where does this malicious misinformation spring from?”
He accused opponents of the current federal administration of engaging in the propagation of fake news so as to sow a seed of discord between Tinubu and his core loyalists.
The Commissioner stated that the failure of the recent nationwide protests has led to the opposition coming up with another means of dividing the ruling party.
He counselled the purveyors of what he described as a tissue of lies to “desist from their serpentine activities capable of undermining the peaceful coexistence between the federal and the state governments.”
“For the avoidance of doubt, His Excellency, Senator Hope Uzodinma has no Vice presidential ambition, either now or in 2027. Any information to the contrary is fake, malicious and spurious and should therefore be ignored,” he added.