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Presidential spokesman, Dr. Doyin Okupe, fingered by the media as one of the promoters of the the controversial #BringbackGoodluck2015 hashtag, has dismissed the claim as ludicrous.

President Goodluck Jonathan had yesterday ordered the removal of banners and billboards bearing messages containing the hashtag adapted from the hugely popular #BringBackOurGirls campaign.

A statement issued this morning by Okupe’s office said: “The Goodluck Initiative For Transformation (GIFT) one of the Support Groups campaigning for the re-election of Jonathan has been on the hashtag for a longtime as well. GIFT are the owners of this hashtag and therefore there is no way Dr. Okupe can be tagged a promoter.”

The statement further said: “Other Twitter users also used the hashtag even before him like @Rally4Gej on 14th May, 2014 and several others. It will also be very wrong to say that Dr. Okupe championed a campaign because he tweeted in response to several other tweets from lovers of President Jonathan. None of Dr. Okupe’s tweets even suggests that it was meant to ridicule or mock the BringBackourGirls BBOG Campaigners as is now been inputed. And he did not continue tweeting. It was a brief tweet session.”

The statement added “GIFT are the owners of this hashtag and one begins to wonder why Dr. Okupe will be used as a Convener of the Campaign.

“Dr. Okupe might have used the hashtag but he did not originate it nor is he the one trending it. GIFT are the ones erecting billboards all over Abuja and not Okupe.

“The Office of Dr. Okupe has also corroborated this fact as can be verified on his official Facebook Page and website.”

•Photo shows Doyin Okupe.

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