The Presidency has responded to allegations that President Muhammadu Buhari violated COVID-19 protocols in Daura, Katsina State over the weekend.
A picture had surfaced online showing Buhari discussing with some All Progressives Congress governors at the revalidation of his APC membership in Daura on Saturday without putting on a mask or maintaining social distancing as stipulated by the newly signed Coronavirus Disease Health Protection Regulations (2021).
It sparked criticisms online, with the Peoples Democratic Party berating the president for allegedly failing to obey COVID-19 protocols stipulated by his administration.
Speaking on Monday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said his principal had his mask on during the exercise but only removed it when he spoke to the microphone. This is at variance with health advice by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 that Nigerians should have their mouths covered with masks during speeches to keep off respiratory droplets through which the virus can be transmitted.
But Shehu, who spoke on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme said, “People are missing the point. The President had his face mask on through that engagement. He had it off when he was speaking into the microphone. It is just a childish antic by PDP.”
