Former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, has dismissed a report by Sahara Reporters quoting him as saying that Nigerians have lost trust in the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Mr. Obi, in a statement on Friday evening by his Media Office, said that he was quoted out of context.

The former Governor said: “My attention has been drawn to a screaming headline, ‘Nigerians Have Lost Trust In Buhari Govt, Says Ex-Gov. Peter Obi’ published by Sahara Reporters.

“The story was purported to be based on my speech delivered yesterday, March 15, at the Ripples Nigeria Dialogue, at which Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, was the Keynote Speaker.

“Incidentally, Sahara Reporters never anywhere in its story quoted me as saying the words that formed its headline.

“For the avoidance of doubt, what I said during my presentation was that the political class, including myself, has failed to meet the expectations of Nigerians. While it is true that I said that Nigerians have lost faith in their governments due to unfulfilled promises, never at any time did I mention the name of President Buhari, his government or any particular government in answering questions asked by the teeming audience. I only spoke in general terms, referring to government at all levels and not to the Federal Government.”

Obi noted that his speech at the event has been reported by several other news outlets, including the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), and that none quoted him as saying that Nigerians have lost trust in the Buhari administration.

He advised journalists to do their work with professionalism so as to avoid unnecessarily heating up the polity.

Valentine Obienyem