It has been reported that the wife of the President, Patience Jonathan, on Sunday, shunned officials of the Rivers State Government at the Port Harcourt International airport on her arrival to the state.
Sources at the airport said government officials including the deputy governor, secretary to the state government and some commissioners who went to the airport to welcome the first lady were alleged to have been ignored by the First Lady who went straight to a nearby helicopter where she was airlifted to Okrika, her home town.
“Since the governor was out of town, the deputy governor had to lead a team of government officials to receive her. But on getting to the airport, the team was not even allowed to access the tarmac,” the source said.
He added that “a military man approached them and told the team that they had directives from the presidency that they should not be allowed near the First Lady. It was the wife of the Bayelsa State governor who was allowed to receive her.”
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has responded to the Special Assistant on Public Affairs to President Goodluck Jonathan, Doyin Okupe, over what he described as “grossly irresponsible” way of disparaging the office of the governor.
Amaechi said in the past few weeks, he decide to ignore statements from Okupe, “as we do not wish to wittingly or unwittingly, avail him with a sparring partner as he strives, though fecklessly yet again, to elevate his act from an attack puppy to an attack dog.”
The governor expressed the belief that Okupe was an irrelevant figure in the political equation that no serious-minded person should take seriously.
Amaechi stated that over time, Okupe’s comments and statements are akin to some sort of “notice-me” dance in front of his boss and his band of cheerleaders.
“However, it has become pertinent to alert/notify the populace and Mr. President that the likes of Okupe represent the very worst of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration.
“With an aide and adviser like Okupe, President Jonathan certainly does not need any enemies. Indeed, Okupe is more than a handful. Pray, what kind of advice will an aide/adviser like Okupe give to Mr. President? The earlier Mr. President purged the Presidency of characters like Okupe, the better for us all”, he said.
Amaechi went on to say that Okupe “sank to a new low” when he falsely and indecorously claimed that the governor used the police to harass, intimidate and punish people unjustly and could not provide one instance or any evidence to back up his claims.
He bragged about some phantom text messages from “ordinary people” whose families have suffered grave injustice in the hands of Amaechi and, yet again, did not tell us the content and senders of the text messages.
“What does Okupe take Nigerians for? The phantom text messages exist only in the devious mind of Doyin Okupe.”
“The Presidential spokesman then sank even deeper as he condescendingly descended to become the Chief Advocate and Defender-in-Chief of the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Mbu Joseph Mbu, who the National Assembly has resolved categorically, should be removed from Rivers State,” said the governor.
Leave a Reply