Former President, Dr.
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan
has repudiated a newspaper
publication indicating that he
returned last Wednesday from
Cote d’Ivoire, a country the paper
claimed he allegedly considered
going into on exile.
A story in one of the national
dailies on Saturday, June 4,
entitled ‘Buhari Holds Secret
Meeting with Jonathan, Niger
Delta Tops Agenda,’ had insisted
that President Jonathan had gone
on self-exile for fear of being
arrested.
However, dismissing the
allegation as false, insensitive
and tendentious, the former
president warned newspapers
to desist from reckless
sensationalism.
Jonathan, who stressed that
he returned from the United
Kingdom and not Cote d’Ivoire
as erroneously claimed in the
newspaper story, however
reiterated that he had “no
intention of turning his back on
Nigeria, a homeland he served
diligently as president to the best
of his abilities.”
According to statement signed
by Ikechukwu Eze, media aide
to the former president, “Our
attention has been drawn to a
spurious publication in ThisDay
of Saturday, 4 June, 2016, entitled
‘Buhari Holds Secret Meeting
with Jonathan, Niger Delta
Tops Agenda.’ We had thought
that the newspaper only set
out to report a routine meeting
between the former president
and President Muhammadu
Buhari, while speculating on
the agenda just as newspapers
are wont to freely do, especially
as no statement was issued by
either of the parties.
“We are however dismayed
that ThisDay, unlike other
newspapers, went beyond this
brief and turned the report into a
veil for its vain and futile attempt
to justify its earlier ‘exclusive’
report, on a speculated Jonathan’s
self-exile to Cote D’Ivoire.
“We are inclined to proclaim
straightaway that this claim or
any insinuation to Dr. Jonathan’s
contemplation of exile is not only
false, tendentious but inciting.
Isn’t it reprehensible that the only
truth in the ThisDay publication
is that former President Jonathan
paid a visit to President Buhari,
while the rest of the content
are bogus insinuations and
fabrications?
“It is surprising that rather
than apologise to the former
president and the nation for
an obvious gaffe, ThisDay
continues to pursue this illusory
line of thought, which achieves
nothing but mislead its readers,
even after the former president
had clearly stated that he never
at any point in time considered
going into exile.
“We are persuaded to believe
that the newspaper is pursuing
a yet-to-be-declared agenda,
especially after a call earlier made
out of respect to the newspaper
by the former president to offer
a clarification was deliberately
misrepresented, to agree with
this premeditated conclusion.
“We are disappointed that a
serious newspaper like ThisDay
could carelessly wager its
reputation and encouraging
perception by submitting itself to
such recklessness and needless
sensationalism.
“We therefore seek to make the
following assertions as a means
of stating the facts: We maintain
as Dr. Jonathan has himself
stated, that the former president
has no intention of turning his
back on Nigeria, a homeland he
served diligently as President, to
the best of his abilities.
“It is instructive to note that
while ThisDay continues to insist
that Jonathan came from Cote
d’Ivoire, the former president
actually returned to the country
last Wednesday evening from
London, after visiting many
countries, including United
States, United Kingdom, Senegal
and Cote d’Ivoire on a six-week
long international engagements
and speaking tour.
“As a former president, Dr.
Jonathan should be obliged the
freedom to visit President Buhari
anytime he likes, to brief him on
his international engagements
and other commitments.
“We will like to advise media
houses to desist from this fruitless
predilection of Jonathan bashing,
just because it is convenient, and
in tune with the disposition in
some quarters. – Nigerian Pilot.
