By Mathew Dadiya, Abuja

The presidency has finally opened up on the rumour making the rounds in the media that President Buhari has ordered the disengagement of 35 aides of his Vice, Yemi Osinbajo, which has been denied by the Vice President’ spokesman severally.

But on Friday, President Buhari confirmed that indeed some aides have been sacked to reduce the cost of governance.

The President confirmed the story in a statement on by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.

Confirming the story, the presidency said, ”there is, on-going, an unprecedented overhaul of the nation’s seat of government, arising from which a number of political appointments have either been revoked or not renewed in the Second Term.

There has been a streamlining of staff going on for a while.”

The exercise, which has been ordered by the President, was to streamline decision-making, cut down multiple authorities and reduce the cost of administration, Presidential spokesman said.

“It is also an appropriate response to the general perception that the Presidency has an oversized and bloated workforce which acts as a drag on efficiency,” he added.

According to the presidential spokesman, the President has always had fewer staff than the Vice President, and there were always plans to reduce the number of staff at the Villa, he said. 

He explained that the streamlining was not personal or targeted to undermine the Vice President’s office, as the so-called insider sources quoted by the media appear to make it seem.

The presidency boasted that President Buhari “is in absolute control of his government.”

It however, urged the media to stop attributing “non-existent powers to some people,” warning that “there cannot be anyone too powerful for President Buhari to control.”

The Presidency further explained: 

“As may have been noticed by discerning members of the public, a number of political appointees among the few that served in the office of the President were not returned for the Second Term.

“The office of the Vice President, His Excellency Yemi Osinbajo has, in compliance with the directive of the President, equally been shed of a number of such appointees.

“In carrying out these exercises, the overriding objective is to save taxpayer money and deliver needed service to the public. As far as the President is concerned, there is no scope for an excuse for administration after getting a huge mandate to run the country for four more years.

“In the light of this, the Presidency wishes to strongly deny rumours of a rift between President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. The relationship between the two leaders remains excellent and trusting. Together, they will script a glorious future for the nation.

“The media reports of a soured relationship are originating from the minds and mouths of mischief makers, who are desperate for entertaining stories from the Aso Rock Villa with which to titillate the public. This ulterior motive is the basis of the wrong interpretation given to the recent exercise in the Presidency.”

Unfortunately, Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande has on Thursday on his twitter handle, @akandeoj, denied that none of the Vice President’s aide was sacked.