The office of the Nigerian Vice President has blasted an online newspaper, Sahararrporters.com, for claiming in a report that Mr. Yemi Osinbajo had cancelled his Indian trip because of a protocol error and fears that Senate President, Mr. Bukola Saraki, might perform the duty of acting President.

The online newspaper claimed that “VP Osinbajo had already sent his advance party to India, and had booked hotels and made arrangements for ground transportation, all at a cost of $250,000, before the cancelation of the trip on Saturday”.

The newspaper claimed that Mr. Osinbajo was to represent Nigeria at the India-Africa conference holding from March 14-16 in New Delhi.

But the Vice President’s spokesman, Mr. Laolu Akande, said the story was riddled with fundamental errors.

For instance, he explained, except when President Muhammdu Buhari is on vacation, indisposed or incapacitated, he is the President of Nigeria, no matter where he is. Alleging that Saraki would have acted in that capacity is false, Mr. Akande said.

“Nigerians know wherever Mr. President is, at home or abroad he acts fully in his office except if on break, indisposed or incapacitated. So the question of his traveling creating a vacuum does not even exist at all,” he said.

Mr. Akande said “it is simply untrue that an advance party from the Vice President’s office departed for India. No such thing happened because there was no such final decision to travel”.

He added: “There are some insinuations online about Nigeria’s participation in the India-Africa conference holding from March 14-16 in New Delhi.

“For the avoidance of any doubt, Nigeria’s delegation to the the meeting is led by Industry & Trade Minister, Dr. Okey Enelamah”