The Presidency has dismissed reports that youths attacked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s convoy with stones after he attended Friday prayers at the Shagari Central Mosque in Area 1, Abuja.
The controversy followed the circulation of a video shared by former Kogi West Senator, Dino Melaye, showing a group of youths throwing stones at a convoy believed to be carrying the President.
In the footage, some of the youths were heard chanting “Ba ma yi, ba ma so”, a Hausa expression meaning “We don’t want you; we don’t support you”.
However, O’tega Ogra, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital Engagement, Strategy and New Media, rejected the claim that Tinubu’s convoy had been attacked.
Reacting through his X account on Friday, Ogra shared a separate video showing the President leaving the mosque after observing the Juma’at prayer.
He described the footage shared by opposition figures as misleading and maintained that the video he released showed what happened after the President’s prayers.
In the video, Tinubu, dressed in white and wearing his trademark black cap, was seen waving to supporters who cheered and took photographs as he walked towards his official vehicle.
The conflicting accounts have generated reactions across social media, with Nigerians questioning the circumstances surrounding the footage shared by Melaye and the Presidency’s response.
TINUBU WARNS AGAINST POLITICAL VIOLENCE
Meanwhile, President Tinubu has warned politicians and their supporters against engaging in political violence ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement personally signed on Friday, the President condemned reported incidents of violence at political gatherings across the country and called on political actors to embrace peaceful campaigns.
He urged politicians to focus their campaigns on issues that would improve the welfare of Nigerians and promote national development.
Tinubu also directed security agencies to take decisive action against political thuggery and other activities capable of threatening the country’s democratic process.
He stressed that violence and intimidation had no place in a democratic society, urging political parties and their supporters to conduct themselves responsibly.
