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The presidency has denied that President Goodluck Jonathan was on the list of corrupt governors complied by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), saying that no charge of corruption was ever made or sustained against the president when he was governor.
The denial followed a media report on Tuesday, which relied on the whistle-blower website, wikileaks.
According to a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Communications, Dr Reuben Abati, in Abuja, on Tuesday, the presidency was concerned over the report, "which contained malicious, disrespectful and disparaging remarks about President Goodluck Jonathan, purportedly authored by an official of the United States Embassy over two years ago."
It said it was at a loss as to what purpose those responsible for the report expected of it, as it was "wholly based on erroneous opinion and false conjecture to serve other than the objectives of those who persist in seeing no good in the Jonathan-led administration and doing everything possible to distract the president from his agenda for national transformation."
The statement said it was a matter of public record that "no charge of corruption was ever made or sustained against the president while he served as governor of Bayelsa State, while his many achievements as governor of the state speak for themselves."
It, therefore, assured that President Jonathan remained committed to press freedom and freedom of speech, which is why he signed the Freedom of Information (FoI) Bill into law, adding that "with the passage of this bill into law, the expectation of the president is that such a law could be utilised by the press to thoroughly investigate allegations before they are released into the public arena as truth."