By EMMANUEL OLONIRUHA

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has debunked a media report alleging he was offered N500 billion to contest against the presidential candidate of National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Peter Obi, to split South-South votes.

Special Adviser on Media to Jonathan, Dr Ikechukwu Eze, in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, described the publication as entirely false and baseless.

Eze called on Nigerians to disregard what he described as a fabricated report published by a “little-known website” which “falsely” attributed a statement to Jonathan claiming that he was offered such amount.

He noted that the fabrication lacked the most basic standards of journalism.

“The report failed to state where or when Jonathan allegedly made such a claim, who was present or who purportedly made the alleged offer,” he said.

Eze noted that the publication bore all the hallmarks of fake news deliberately crafted to mislead the public and drag the former president into unnecessary political controversy.

While acknowledging that the approach of a political season often brings a surge in misinformation and false attributions, he, however, urged Nigerians to disregard the report in its entirety and verify sensational claims before sharing them.(NAN)