Vice President Namadi Sambo, yesterday refuted report making the rounds that he was spearheading an imposition of a state-of-emergency in Kaduana State in a bid to unfold his presidential ambition into a pleasant reality in 2015.
The report in sections of the media had also alleged that the plan by Sambo was also fashioned to witch- hunt Governor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, whose perceived closeness to former Governor Ahmed Mohamed Makarfi tends to be unsettling the vice president.
But the vice president, who said the report was a cheap lie fabricated to cause disaffection among him, the governor and Markafi, urged members of the public to discountenance such falsehood.
In a statement by his senior special assistant on media and publicity, Alhaji Umar Sani, Sambo said he found the story to be “not only malicious in contents but an orchestrated attempt to disparage the good relationship that exists” between him, the governor and Markafi.
The statement, made available to LEADERSHIP WEEKEND, reads in part: “Our attention has been drawn to media reports alleging that Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, in a purported pursuit of a presidential ambition, and in order to get at Governor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa of Kaduna State, ostensibly for his supposed closeness with former governor Ahmed Mohamed Makarfi, was pushing for an imposition of a state-of-emergency rule in Kaduana State.
“It should be noted that they (Sambo, Yakowa and Markafi) not only enjoy good and cordial fraternal relationship but excellent working one as well.? They pay each other periodic visits and take time to travel to events together.?
Only recently, the vice president commiserated with the governor over the fire incident that engulfed his official residence in Kaduna.
“Also, on the invitation of the vice president, the governor and Makarfi were with him in Benin-City during the gubernatorial campaign of Charles Edigie Airhiavbere at the Ogbemudia Stadium.
They flew together in the vice president’s aircraft. At no time was there any meeting involving Kaduna State in which the vice president discussed the supposed emergency rule.”