The Presidency on Tuesday has refuted claims on some media platforms that the United States and United Kingdom were pressuring President Muhammadu Buhari to trash his 2019 bid for a second term in office.

Mr. Femi Adesina, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, in a press statement made available to Naija News stated that there is no truth in the claims.

The Presidential Aide, who strongly opposed the story in the media titled “Pressure mounts on Buhari not to seek re-election”, says that it was untrue that the foreign powers, including the European Union, United States of America, United Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia, are putting pressure on Buhari not to seek re-election.

Adesina added that the President has in fact been held in high esteem in the countries mentioned in the report, contrary to opposing claims.

He added that President Buhari gave a lot of thought to the prospect before announcing his bid for a second term in office.

He said by claiming that it got feelers that Buhari may opt out of the 2019 presidential election, the newspaper embarrassed itself.

The statement read in part, “We thought fake news was the sole preserve of the social media in this season. Alas, a traditional medium has caught the bug. Obviously, the author of the story just got a brainwave, or got procured by anti-democratic elements, and then penned the mischief.

“If there are quarters in which President Buhari is held in very high esteem, and the work he is doing for Nigeria highly lauded, it is in the countries mentioned. Some of them are equally bastions of democracy, and will not interfere in the democratic affairs of a sovereign country. The newspaper should simply tell its story to the marines.

“President Buhari is not a flippant or frivolous individual. He gave deep thought to the prospect, before announcing his bid for a second term in office.

“It is only those who fear that their goose would be cooked, if they meet with him at the polls, that are trying to dissuade him from running by all means, including sponsored newspaper stories.”