The Buhari Media Support Group has dismissed as baseless and unfounded the allegations by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that President Muhammadu Buhari was banned from entering the United States because of his purported extremist religious views.
Reacting to the allegation in a statement in Abuja yesterday, the Buhari Media Support Group said it was shocked by Atiku’s curious and spurious allegations, explaining that there was no time Buhari was ever banned from entering the US or any Western country because of any alleged or perceived extreme religious views.
According to the BMSG, “the former Vice President appears to have his facts or information mixed up somewhere” and that “he must be confusing someone else with Buhari.”
The group said Buhari has enjoyed, and continues to enjoy, enormous international goodwill, explaining that he had no reason to be in the United States after he finished from the War College.
It added that in 2016 Buhari was invited to deliver a lecture at the Woodrow Wilson Centre in the United States and that he was also at the Chatam House in London.
According to the statement, Buhari could not have visited a country where he was officially banned because of any so-called extreme religious views. It, however, challenged Atiku to publish any such record if he had any.
The BMSG advised the former vice president to play fair politics and avoid dragging the president’s name in the mud for political advantage.
It said political leaders should lead by example by being truthful and avoiding the spread of unfair and unfounded rumours against perceived opponents.
The BMSG explained that President Buhari bears no ill will towards Atiku in the pursuit of his ambition, but requested the former vice president to reciprocate that gesture by stopping the spread misinformation against the president.