The Presidency has reacted to the news making the rounds on social media that President Muhammadu Buhari has sacked his Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari.
A claim about Kyari’s sack went viral on social media on March 31, 2020, after a WhatsApp broadcast message which claimed that President Buhari had sacked him.
The message forwarded to many Nigerians mostly in the Northern part of the country also claimed that the President had replaced Kyari with a former Governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi.
The circulated WhatsApp message further said that the statement on Kyari’s sack was released by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, on Monday, March 31, 2020, in Abuja.
The message read in part: “The termination of the appointment of Abba Kyari took immediate effect. And the President has appointed Ajimobi as New COS. The President ordered Abba Kyari to step down as Chief of Staff due to his health challenge.’’
However, the Presidency, through the President’s aide on new media matters, Bashir Ahmad, described the news as “another fake news.”
Ahmad tweeted, ”Yet another fake news started trending on some WhatsApp groups that ‘President @MBuhari sacked Mallam Abba Kyari and replaced him with former Gov. Abiola Ajimobi’, disregard and dishonour it, entirely untrue!’’
Kyari, who tested positive to Coronavirus after he returned from Germany, was reportedly flown in an air ambulance to Lagos at the weekend to continue his treatment.