By DANIEL IDONOR
THE Presidency yesterday distanced President Goodluck Jonathan from suggestions that he called names when he said that the “the south west is too important to be left in the hands of rascals.”

Fielding questions from State House Correspondents, Presidential Spokesman, Mr Ima Niboro, stated that “at no time did the President ascribed the rascal he mentioned to anyone”.

However, he added that while the President did not refer to anyone specifically as a rascal, whoever that would wants to appropriate the name of a rascal to himself is welcome.

He said: “Please note that the president didn’t call any names when he said the south west is too important to be left in the hands of rascals”.

According to him, “so any one who wants to appropriate the name to himself is welcome to do so”.

President Jonathan had on Tuesday while flagging-off his presidential campaign in the South-West geo-political zone, in Ibadan, declared that the south West is too educated to be left in the hands of rascals to lead come April 2011, insisting that the people must vote for credible leaders in the next election.