The presidency has finally spoken on the controversies that have been around the President, Muhammadu Buhari, since viral photos made rounds on the internet over the weekend.
The President faced severe criticism after the photos surfaced online, showing him neither using a face mask nor maintaining social distancing during a meeting with governors and APC chiefs at the revalidation of his APC membership in Daura.
It is well known that Buhari recently signed the Coronavirus Disease Health Protection Regulations (2021), which made the use of face masks compulsory, among other regulations.
The law also stipulates a fine or six months imprisonment or both for violators of the new regulations.
Hence, the action of the President in not using the face mask contravened the new regulations he had just signed five days prior to his meeting on Saturday.
PDP also joined Nigerians in slamming the president. Through their spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, they criticized Buhari, urging Nigerians not to follow the precedence set by the President.
The PDP described the incidence of the viral pictures as a “huge national embarrassment and gross failure of leadership.”
Speaking on Monday, however, presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, has offered some explanations concerning the whole situation.
According to the spokesman, his principal, President Muhammadu Buhari, had his mask on during the exercise.
He then explained that the President only had to removed it when he spoke to the microphone.
In his statement at Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme, Shehu explained, “People are missing the point.
The President had his face mask on through that engagement. He had it off when he was speaking into the microphone. It is just a childish antic by the PDP.”
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Also commenting on the criticism the President received for having 10 governors accompany him to Daura even in spite of the government’s social distancing health advice, the presidential spokesman said nothing was wrong with the number of governors and APC chieftain in the delegation.
“This is to drive the spirit of the re-registration and the revalidation of membership. We must convey to the nation that we the party is behind the process and everyone is involved,” he explained.
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