Bauchi State Governor Mohammed Abubakar has dismissed a claim by a member of the House of Assembly, Maryam Begal, that he is planning to blackmail her by exposing her nude photographs.
Begal, who contested the Bauchi South District Senatorial by-election, claimed that Abubakar was behind those intent on “humiliating” her by portraying her as “immoral”.
The politician claimed that the governor’s “agents” were in possession of her nude photographs, which were superimposed onto other pornographic images.
She was said to have claimed that an envelope filled with copies of the photo-shopped nude pictures was delivered to her, followed by a phone call and warning to “desist” from being “antagonistic” to the Abubakar administration, if she does not want the images to be made public.
But in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Strategy, Ali M. Ali, the governor described Begal’s allegations as “fantastic claims”.
It reads: “We found this amusing. At no point did Bagel constitute a ‘threat’ or even a ‘nuisance’ to the government of M. A. Abubakar to the extent that it would resort to this reprehensible measure.
“The governor has a cast-iron reputation of moral uprightness. His moral credentials are beyond reproach. It is, therefore, inconceivable that he would encourage, let alone, sponsor such a desperate measure.
“He has repeatedly and publicly stated that he bears no ill-will or malice against anyone, especially antagonistic elements. The uplifting and progress of Bauchi State is his main focus.
“The frolics of a desperate attention-seeker will not distract him from his determination to change the depressing narrative of our state. The governor is currently on Hajj and is praying for the development of the state and the nation.
“We strongly suspect that Bagel is resorting to this hallucinatory measure to deal with her electoral humiliation in the recent senatorial by-election in Bauchi South District. She is looking for a fall guy.
“The media should be wary of sensational claims of desperate politicians as we approach elections.”