Former President Goodluck Jonathan has dismissed as false and fabricated a report claiming he was offered ₦500 billion to contest the 2027 presidential election against the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Peter Obi, to split votes in the South-South.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Ikechukwu Eze, Jonathan described the publication as baseless and a deliberate attempt to drag him into needless political controversy.
He urged Nigerians to disregard the report, saying it originated from a little-known website and falsely attributed the claim to him without providing any evidence.
According to the statement, the publication failed to meet the basic standards of journalism, as it neither stated where nor when Jonathan allegedly made the claim, nor identified who purportedly offered the money or who witnessed the alleged conversation.
“The report is a fabricated story aimed at associating me with claims I never made,” the statement quoted Jonathan as saying.
The former President said the publication bore all the hallmarks of fake news designed to mislead the public and stoke unnecessary political tension as political activities begin to gather momentum ahead of the next general elections.
Jonathan cautioned Nigerians against believing or circulating unverified reports, urging the public to verify sensational claims before sharing them.
He reiterated that the report should be disregarded in its entirety, insisting that he never made the statements attributed to him.