A plot to smear the reputation of Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has been alleged by his campaign council, Naija News reports.
The media council in a statement on Monday claimed that a US-based Nigerian is leading a group of smear campaigners to tarnish the image of the vice president.
According to the council, the smear group is planning to cast the Vice President, who is a Christian, as a religious fanatic while he was a commissioner in Lagos State.
The council pointed out that Osinabjo didn’t discriminate against any staff of another faith during his time as the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the state.
It disclosed that the leader of the campaigner was a former Students Union President at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and presently a lecturer at the University of Ohio, USA.
The council, however, vowed to resist any attempt to malign the reputation of the vice-president.
The statement reads: “The plan is to use fake audio of faceless individuals with fictitious names to cast the Vice President, who is a Christian, as a religious fanatic, who discriminated against staff of other faith while he was Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State during the tenure of former Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“In the fake video, a woman is seen crying and making frantic allegations that she was discriminated against by the then Attorney-General because she was not allowed to wear the Muslim head cover for women, otherwise known as the hijab, to work.
“As observed by someone who was in the same Ministry at the time Osinbajo served as Attorney-General, no such incident ever occurred and this is just a malicious and wicked attempt to sully the sterling qualities of Prof. Osinbajo because of his Presidential aspirations.
“Indeed as Attorney-General, Prof Osinbajo’s Secretary, a Muslim, Alhaji Abdul Gafar Bakare had testified before now that the then Lagos AGF ‘did not only encourage me to further my education even at my relatively old age, he personally sponsored my BSc Accounting Program’.
“It would be recalled that similar smear campaigns was unleashed against President Muhammadu Buhari, especially during the 2014-15 Presidential campaigns, when it was alleged that he was virulently anti-Christian. The attempt however met with failure.”
The media council described Osinbajo as a firm believer in Nigeria’s diversity, an ardent proponent of Nigerian unity and a tolerant Nigerian who believes in inter-faith harmony and freedom of worship.
According to the council, the need to alert the general public to the smear campaign against Osinbajo was necessary and urge everyone to ignore same when released to the public
It added: “During his career as a university teacher, he taught Moslems and Christians alike in a convivial atmosphere. He also had excellent working and private relationships with Muslim bosses over the decades, including Judge Bola Ajibola, Former Governor Tinubu and President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Osinbajo remains a firm believer in Nigeria’s diversity and an ardent proponent of Nigerian unity.
“For these reasons, the Media Council feels the need to alert the general public to the odious campaign strategy of Osinbajo detractors and urge everyone to ignore same when released to the public.”
