From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

The presidency has described as fiction, claims by former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, that President Muhammadu Buhari was banned from entering United States of America for 15 years on account of religious considerations.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, in a statement reacted to Atiku’s interview published Saturday in a national daily.

According to the statement, “This fictive concoction being passed off as truth is mind boggling, coming from a former number two man of Nigeria, who should know the truth.

“At no time was President Buhari, as a private person, ever forbidden from entering any country in the world. Rather, the rest of the world has always held Muhammadu Buhari as a man of sterling qualities, strong on integrity, transparency and accountability. The same testimony is still borne of the Nigerian President by many world leaders today.”

The presidency described as curious that rather than answer the question directly of why he has not visited the US for the past 10 years, the former VP choose to beg the question and say things that only exist in his imagination.
“It is curious that former VP Abubakar had been asked why he had not visited America for over a decade, something that had been a stubborn fact dogging his footsteps.

“Instead of answering directly, he begged the question, saying Buhari also had been disallowed from entering the same country for 15 years, before becoming President.

“We hereby make it resoundingly clear that what the former Vice President said only exists in the realm of his imagination. If he has issues to settle with American authorities, he should do so, rather than clutch at a straw.”