Presidency disowns Buhari’s close nephew, see why

Buhari’s nephew, Mamman Daura has been disowned by the Presidency.

Onyxnews Nigeria reports that the Presidency has disassociated President Muhammadu Buhari from comments made by his nephew Malam Mamman Daura on a radio station regarding the 2023 presidential election.

The Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Garba Shehu in a statement, said that the comment made by Daura were his own views.

“We have received numerous requests for comments on the interview granted by Malam Mamman Daura, President Muhammadu Buhari’s nephew to the BBC Hausa Service.

“It is important that we state from the onset that as mentioned by the interviewee, the views expressed were personal to him and did not, in any way, reflect that of either the President or his administration,” the statement said.

“In an attempt to circulate the content of the interview to a wider audience, the English translation clearly did no justice to the interview, which was granted in Hausa, and for this, the context was mixed up and new meanings were introduced and/or not properly articulated.

“The issues discussed during the interview, centred around themes on how the country could birth an appropriate process of political dialogue, leading to an evaluation, assessment and a democratic outcome that would serve the best interest of the average Nigerian irrespective of where they come from.

The statement also stated that Daura was within his rights to make such a statement.

It added that: “At age 80, and having served as editor and managing director of one of this country’s most influential newspapers, the New Nigerian, certainly, Malam Mamman qualifies as an elder statesman with a national duty to hold perspectives and disseminate them as guaranteed under our constitution and laws of the land. He does not need the permission or clearance of anyone to exercise this right.

“These issues remain at the heart of our evolving and young democracy, and as a veteran journalist, scholar and statesman, Malam Mamman has seen enough to add his voice to those of many other participants,” the statement read.