Femi Adesina, the former presidential spokesperson for ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, has refuted claims of supernatural occurrences during his eight-year stay at the Villa. Adesina made these remarks during an interview on Tuesday’s Politics Today program on Channels Television. His comments were in response to previous assertions by Reuben Abati, another former presidential spokesperson, who described the Aso Villa in Abuja as a haunted place.
Adesina, who served as Buhari’s spokesman from May 2015 to May 2023, dismissed Abati’s claims, stating, “I didn’t see anything like that; no witches, no wizards, nothing like that in the Villa.” He went on to share his own experience, highlighting that he not only slept soundly in the Villa for eight years but also humorously mentioned his snoring habit as evidence of his peace of mind.
Addressing Abati’s account of a fire incident in the Villa, Adesina commented, “Reuben Abati said the house they gave him in the Villa, he didn’t sleep there for one night because when he attempted to sleep there, fire just broke out. So, he ran away.” Adesina, in contrast, emphasized his tranquility during his tenure, stating, “I slept in my house for eight years, not only did I sleep but I was snoring. I snored so much that I woke myself up with the sound of my snores; that showed I was at peace.”
Adesina also speculated on the hypothetical scenario where Goodluck Jonathan won the 2015 election and retained Abati as his special adviser. He suggested that if Jonathan had won and appointed Abati to continue in the Villa, it would have been in a place Abati had deemed haunted.
Earlier on the same day, Adesina launched his book, ‘Working with Buhari: Reflections of A Special Adviser, Media, and Publicity (2015-2023)’ in Abuja. The event was attended by notable figures such as his former principal, President Buhari, President Bola Tinubu, ex-Head of State Yakubu Gowon, and other dignitaries.
