medium, Sahara Reporters, has introduced a new twist to the
health challenge that President
Goodluck Jonathan had in London last week Thursday.
The matter was provoked by a response by the Special
Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben
Abati, to the online media's story on the President's illness.
They had reported that Jonathan's health broke down in
London after engaging in heavy drinking during a bash
organised to mark his 56th birthday in his hotel
room in London.
That this angered the Presidency is evident in the tone of
statement issued by Dr. Abati, which indicates that the
government may institute a legal
action against Sahara Reporters.
In the statement that has sparked online reactions from many
Nigerians, Abati said contrary to claims, Jonathan observed
his birthday on Wednesday
quietly with better part of the day spent on air from Abuja to
London – while the remaining part was spent in the privacy of
his hotel room.
But Sahara Reporters say they are ready to go to court as they
are sure of what they reported.
With the latest development, the presidential spokesman has
once again come under fire from Nigerians who say the
response is hardly necessary.
A majority of Nigerians who have taken to Twitter, Facebook
and The Punch news website, where the statement was also
published, say Abati's response
has thrown the hitherto 'unpopular and unknown report' into
the open.
Meanwhile, in the midst of the debate, Sahara Reporters says
its report on the President's health is valid. It made this
known in a statement on its website, saying, "Despite Mr.
Jonathan's threats and deployment of scare tactics, Sahara
Reporters, stands by its account of the events in London in the
past few days…
As 2015 election approaches and Mr.
Jonathan tries to win the sympathy of Nigerians in his favour,
we challenge him to prove — including in a court of law –
that these reports have been "entirely fictional, malicious,
hate-driven and scurrilous distortion of the facts."
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