Abuja — Minister of Interior, Dr. Shettima Mustafa has debunked reports that some ministers wrote a memo to Acting President Goodluck Jonathan urging him to maintain the status quo in the dissolution or reorganisation of the Executive Council of the Federation (EXCOF).

A report in a national daily had claimed that 12 ministers dubbed "12 Wise men" had in a failed bid of EXCOF to invoke Section 144 of the 1999 Constitution to oust President Umaru Yar'Adua on ground of incapacitation, urged Jonathan to "maintain the status quo."

But Mustafa said in a statement in Abuja yesterday that the allegations against the so called "12 Wise Men" were false, unfounded, and a deliberate fabrication aimed at whipping up sentiments against the ministers.

Aside Mustafa, other mministers alleged to have belonged to the group included the Minister of Defence, Maj-Gen Godwin Abbe (rtd); Senator Adamu Aliero (FCT), Dr. Ibrahim Lame (Police Affairs), Demola Seriki (Defence, State), Rilwan Lukman (Petroleum Resources), Shamsuddeen Usman (National Planning), Ufot Ekaette (Niger Delta Affairs), Sam Egwu (Education), Abba Ruma (Agriculture & Water Resources), Babatunde Osotimehin (Health) and Taminu Kurfi (Economic Adviser).

The report had alluded that the noticeable division within the FEC became more pronounced when the group of 12 wrote a strongly worded memo to the Acting President to maintain the status quo, and cautioned him to avoid any attempt to refer to the current administration "as Jonathan administration', insisting that it remains "Yar'Adua administration" till 2011.

But Mustafa, who issued the statement on behalf of the 12 ministers mentioned in the report, said such insinuations were a calculated attempt to heat up the polity.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Interior Ademola Seriki said yesterday that he was not part of the 12 elder ministers who allegedly wrote a memo to Acting President Goodluck Jonathan challenging him over a possible dissolution of the Executive Council of the Federation (EXCOF). Seriki also dismissed the report as unfounded and erroneous.

He said at a time the nation and its citizens were expected to put all hands on deck working for the progress of the country, some people were bent on not only drawing back the hands of the clock but also on creating divisions.

A report in a national newspaper on Saturday, March 6, 2010 had alleged that some elders ministers described as 12 wise men had written a memo where they allegedly cautioned the Acting President to avoid any attempt to refer to the current administration as "Jonathan administration," insisting that it remains a continuation of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua administration till 2011.

The report had also alleged that the ministers advised the Acting President against dissolving the cabinet and reasoned that since the ailing President Yar'Adua is in the country, Jonathan does not have the power to either dissolve the cabinet or tamper with the service chiefs.

Listed among the ministers are Alhaji Adamu Aliero, Dr. Ibrahim Lame, Seriki,

Dr. Rilwanu Lukman, Alhaji Shettima Mustapha, Dr. Shamsudeen Usman, Chief Uffot Ekaette, Gen. Godwin Abbe (rtd), Dr. Sam Egwu, Dr. Abba Ruma, Prof. Babatunde Oshotimehin and Dr. Tanimu Kurfi.

Some of the ministers like Oshotimehin and Mustapha have already dissociated themselves from any such memo.

Seriki said: "At no time did I participate in authoring any memo to Acting President Goodluck Jonathan. Part of the fallacy of the report was its reference to the issuance of the alleged memo to the Acting President as a political survival strategy.

How does a memo, which appears like a threat or warning from Ministers to the Acting President, their boss, amount to "a political survival strategy" as insinuated by the report.

"I want to state categorically that at no time was I made aware of any such memo.

I also want to state categorically that no such memo was co-authored by me. It should be borne in mind that in recent months, especially with the state of the nation, some people have resorted to telling lies to journalists as part of their own survival strategy, pitching high-ranking government officials against one another.

"It is bad enough that the nation is at this developmental stage and rather than put all hands on deck, some individuals would rather concoct stories to further drag the country down the abyss."