'Buhari never appointed me head of screening transition committee' - cleric says

The controversial pastor and former running mate of the president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, denied the the rumour of heading a transition committee through his spokesperson Yinka Odumakin.

Founding pastor of Latter Rain Assembly, Tunde Bakare, has said he was not aware of any appointment to ‎head the Transition Committee of the President-Elect Muhammadu Buhari as reported by some newspapers on Monday.

ThisDay on Monday had reported that Pastor Bakare had been appointed by President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari to head the screening of members of the Transition Committee which will meet with a similar committee from the presidency on the hand-over from the Goodluck Jonathan administration to the incoming Buhari-led government.

The controversial pastor and former running mate of the president-elect denied the the rumour of heading a transition committee through his spokesperson Yinka Odumakin.

Mr. Odumakin said, "This is news to Pastor Bakare also. He read it in This Day Newspaper as others did this morning."

He added that "mischief makers are at work as usual."

The spokesperson of the Buhari campaign office Malam Garba Shehu also said he wasn't aware of Bakare's appointment when Daily Trust contacted him on Monday.

In an interview in Daura, Buhari said the transition committee when put in place would comprise of patriotic and knowledgeable Nigerians.

The president-elect said the committee won't be too big and will contain more technocrats than politicians.