Breaking New: Jonathan Condemn exile Story

ABUJA —Former President Goodluck Jonathan has
denied a newspaper publication that he returned
last Wednesday from Cote d’Ivoire, a country the
paper claimed he allegedly considered going into
exile, describing the publication as malicious. The
publication had insisted that former President,
Goodluck 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. Dr. Jonathan, who stressed that he
returned from the United Kingdom and not Cote
d’Ivoire as erroneously claimed in the publication,
however, reiterated that he “has no intention of
turning his back on Nigeria, a homeland he served
diligently as President, to the best of his abilities.”
A statement, yesterday, by Mr Ikechukwu Eze, media
aide to the former President, said: “Our attention
has been drawn to a spurious publication of June 4,
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 this newspaper,
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 newspaper 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, this newspaper 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
this said newspaper 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 the newspaper
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.”