Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, has denied blocking Silas Agara, former Deputy Governor of the state from being appointed as the Chairman of National Population Commission (NPC) by President Muhammadu Buhari.
This was made known in a statement signed by Ibrahim Addra, Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the governor and made available to newsmen on Monday in Lafia.
The statement was a reaction to a report on an online medium on Aug. 23, which accused the governor of stopping the appointment of Agara as NPC boss, in favour of one Mr Kura Isa, said to be a Muslim from Kano state.
The report quoted an unnamed government official to have said that the Governor and Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari told Buhari not to appoint a Christian as NPC chairman.
“It is elementary knowledge to see that the concoction drips of malice and lack the ingredients that make a good report.
“For the avoidance of doubt, there is absolutely no iota of truth in these claims and as such we condemn the piece in its entirety.
“We are equally appalled by the religious slant being introduced at a time all well meaning citizens are working to build bridges across divides, especially in Nasarawa State.
“Matters of appointment of individuals into positions such as the one in question are the preserve of President Muhammadu Buhari, so to suggest pressure from Governor Abdullahi Sule in that respect or an alleged plan is laughable.
“Governor Sule’s antecedents, predisposition, exposure and world view do not cast him in the mould of a bigot that is being speculated,” the statement added.
It noted that the recent appointment of Mr Henry Omaku, a Christian, as ambassador representing the state proved the impression that the story seeks to create wrong.
It added that those who know the governor and have interacted with him would be “having a good laugh at this misadventure by the author of the story.”
The statement dismissed the allegation as a desperate attempt to distract the governor from delivering on his promises to the people of the state and urged the public to disregard the story.
