Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan has no intention of probing ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo despite their widely reported political disagreement.

Speaking this evening through his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Dr. Reuben Abati, President Jonathan dismissed reports in the media about his purported intention to probe the Obasanjo regime as “nonsensical.”

“The Presidency is constrained to state once again that there is no truth whatsoever to rehashed reports in the media today that President Goodluck Jonathan intends to order a probe of the Obasanjo Administration because of the former President’s ‘constant’ criticisms of the Federal Government.

President Jonathan remains fully focused on the urgent tasks of assuring peace, security and stability across the country to create the right conditions for rapid socio-economic development and will not be distracted from this objective by futile attempts to drive a wedge between him and other respected elders and leaders of his party,” Abati said in a statement just issued in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.

He explained that “the President has nothing but the greatest respect for Chief Obasanjo’s very notable contributions to national growth and development over many years and far from taking offence or seeking retaliation, will always welcome objective criticism and advice from the very highly-regarded elder statesman.”

The statement explained that “President Jonathan regards his Administration as a continuation of the unbroken chain of PDP-led governments started by Chief Obasanjo in 1999 which have worked tirelessly to entrench democratic governance and achieve rapid socio-economic growth in the country.”

It said that “rather than order a pointless probe of his predecessors, he will continue to do his utmost best to build on the solid foundations for national progress laid under previous PDP administrations,” adding:

“Speculations and suggestions of an impending probe of the Obasanjo Administration by President Jonathan are therefore nonsensical and should be dismissed by all right-thinking Nigerians as the product of the fertile imagination of mischievous political jobbers.”

•Photo shows ex-President Obasanjo.