President Muhammadu Buhari said the joke about his purported death and replacement by one Jibril from Sudan before the 2019 general elections was not pleasant.
Several Nigerians claimed three years ago that Buhari, who battled with an undisclosed ailment throughout his first term in office died in a United Kingdom hospital in 2018, and the occupier of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, was one Jibril from Sudan.
Buhari, who spoke in a documentary aired on Friday during an event organised to mark his 80th birthday, described the claim as the handiwork of mischief makers who thrive on lies.
The president declared that he would not miss the State House too much because of the criticisms of his tenure despite efforts to make the country better.
He said: “Yes! People said I am somebody from Sudan. I didn’t bother with the name. Nigerians have mischievous ways of explaining themselves.
“The rumour is not funny because those who made the statement just want to be cheeky. They want to distract attention from the main issue. Our main issue is to do the infrastructure and make people aware that they need to work hard to live well. They just want to enjoy life without earning the respect of their community and so on.
“Really, I wonder if I am going to miss much. I think I’m being harassed. I believe I’m trying my best but still, my best is not good enough.
“Because there are people around that think that they can intimidate me to get what they want instead of going through certain systems to earn whatever they want to earn.”