By: Mercy Peter
The former media aide to the former Vice President, Umar Sani has described as spurious and unnecessary, the disclaimer made on him by his former boss, Arc. Namadi Sambo.
Sani who was reacting to the disclaimer asked rhetorically if I had ceased to be his media aide since 2016, why did he ask me to respond to former Speaker, Ghali Umar Na’Abba in 2018.
The former media aide stressed that he never alluded to be speaking for the former Vice President in all his interviews on national issues.
Sani, in a statement said he understood the fear of the former Vice President who feels his view could be an impediment.
He however said his relationship with the former vice president remains amicable to this day, saying that he has never issued any statement nor engaged with the media in my capacity as his current media aide nor has any media organization reported him as having done so.
He therefore said one thing that will not go away is the fact that he will always be referred to as former media aide to the president.
He stated: “My attention has been drawn to a press statement purportedly emanating from the office of Arc Namadi Sambo, former Vice President, and signed by one Yinka Ibrahim.
“The statement asserts that I have ceased to serve as the spokesperson for the former Vice President since 2016 and that all views and opinions expressed by me are entirely my own.
“I find this statement to be utterly spurious and highly unnecessary for the simple reason that if I had indeed ceased to be His Excellency’s spokesperson since 2016, why issue a statement now, some nine years later, as a disclaimer?
“This sudden declaration that I am no longer his spokesperson raises significant queries and seems, at best, a belated and curious assertion.
“Let me state unequivocally for the record that after leaving office in 2015, the former Vice President earnestly implored me to continue in my capacity as his spokesperson and speechwriter the positions I held while in office, a request which I initially declined. He persisted, convening a meeting between his then-political adviser, myself, his chief medical physician, and himself, in an attempt to persuade me to reconsider. At that meeting, his political adviser suggested that I be compensated with my official salary to continue in my role. After much entreaty, I ultimately agreed to serve on a pro bono basis. To this day, I have not received a single penny for my contributions.
“Furthermore, when Kabir Tanimu Turaki SAN sought the former Vice President’s input into his campaign council during his 2018 PDP presidential campaign, the former Vice President submitted my name as his representative. I worked as a media emissary for the Campaign Council, and when it was time to travel to Port Harcourt for the National Convention, I was initially scheduled to fly with the Kabir Tanimu Turaki Campaign Council aircraft. However, the former Vice President insisted that I travel with him aboard his chartered aircraft. Upon our return, the entire campaign council visited him in his office, and one of the requests from Kabiru Tanimu Turaki was for him to graciously allow me to be a full-time member of his campaign council, to which he gracefully obliged.
“In 2018, an altercation took place between the former Vice President and the former Speaker, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, concerning the outcome of a visit to the former Vice President’s office during his time in office. According to Na’Abba, the purpose of the visit was to inquire about the government’s efforts to address the declining standard of education in the country. Ghali in 2018 raised the issue, he stated that instead of providing a direct response, the former Vice President resorted to spiritual explanations. This incident was subsequently reported in the media, and the ex-VP later asked me to respond to the former Speaker.
“However, my question is was I then permitted to address the matter without proper authorization since I had ceased to be the spokesperson in 2016? If I was, why has there been no official refutation or response from the office of the former Vice President regarding the issue since then?
“Upon reading the statement, my instinct and understanding of him was that perhaps, as a contractor, the former Vice President’s concern lies in the potential impediments my views and stance on national issues might present to his current contractual endeavors.
“I find the statement unnecessary, as our relationship remains amicable to this day. I have never issued any statement nor engaged with the media in my capacity as his current media aide nor has any media organization reported me as having done so.
“On some occasions, I have read press statements that he signed personally. What perhaps unsettles him is my being referenced as his former media aide, a designation that shall undoubtedly endure the test of time.”
