The Presidency yesterday lambasted the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, for disrespecting and attacking the office and the person of President Goodluck Jonathan.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, in a statement issued in Abuja specifically referred to a statement made by the ACN National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed on Wednesday which he said was full of disparaging words about the office and person of the President.
Abati stated that Mohammed obviously went overboard in the statement in which he advised Jonathan to take a long, hard look at himself in the mirror if he truly wants to see the face of a party leader who is fast turning his party into a one-man show, because the President said his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is the only truly democratic party in Nigeria.
Abati said: “In the statement, Mohammed advised President Jonathan ‘to take a long, hard look at himself in the mirror if he truly wants to see the face of a party leader who is fast turning his party into a one-man show,’ because the President said his party, the PDP, is the only truly democratic party in Nigeria”
According to him, the ACN spokesman repeatedly resorted to personal attacks and disparaging remarks about the person and office of the President. He said: “The ACN spokesman also accused President Jonathan of failing to show deep introspection in his public comments of rushing to exhibit soap-box mentality and calling him a highly partisan and easily excitable President.
“We consider this denigration of the office and person of the President in the name of opposition politics, as clearly unhealthy politics, and completely tactless.
“The ACN spokesman repeatedly resorts to personal attacks and disparaging remarks about the President. It is Mohammed who needs to take a long, hard look at himself in the mirror and ask whether his party is truly a democratic party.
“President Jonathan is a humble gentleman who has shown his value at moments of deep crisis as a loyal and thoughtful leader. Recall his measured response and handling of the constitutional crisis in 2010. Far from being excitable, Jonathan has handled unprecedented attacks on his character and Presidency with dignity and humour
“A highly experienced, scholarly and non-partisan President Jonathan cannot fit into such negative space as cast by Mohammed. Only national interests have dictated this President’s governance policies, choice of states to visit and events to attend, as exemplified by his consecutive visits to ACN-controlled Ogun State to commission cement factories and attending the burial of the late Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu in APGAcontrolled Anambra State.
“The office of the President is a national institution that must survive its temporary occupants. Those who seem to be deriving childish excitement from attacking the President, under the guise of playing politics, should refrain from bringing that institution into disrepute.
“The time for electioneering campaigns and trying to score cheap political points, by any means possible, must be separated from the time for delivering dividends of democracy. The occupant of the Number One office in the land is father of all and not of one party.
“President Jonathan’s description of the PDP as the only truly democratic party should be seen as a wake-up call to other political parties, as well as political leaders, to live out their democratic pretensions in the full glare of the public. Is it not public knowledge that some political parties, despite preaching democracy, lack internal democracy and thrive in imposing candidates? ” Abati said
But the ACN has rejected the characterisation of its regular constructive criticism of the Jonathan administration as an indication of disrespect for the office of the, saying that is simply not the case.
In a statement issued in Ilorin on Thursday by the National Publicity Secretary, the party said the statement by the President’s spokesman, in which he made the allegation, was so defensive that it easily gives him away as someone more eager to keep his plum job than to convince Nigerians that his boss’ actions and statements are dignifying his high office.
Mohammed said: “For the avoidance of doubt, we have nothing but the highest respect for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In fact, it is for that reason that we issued the statement in which we advised the President to refrain from making statements that will make him look more partisan than presidential.
“There is nothing ‘disparaging’ or constituting ‘personal attacks’ in asking the President to look at himself in the mirror or to show deep introspection in his public comments, and we are sure a brilliant fellow like Dr. Abati knows that very well, if he could momentarily remove his snout from the nectar of office.
“Unfortunately, in his eagerness to be seen to be working hard in defending his boss, Dr. Abati simply echoed what we said in our statement that seems to have rankled him so much. For example, Dr Abati wrote ‘The time for electioneering campaigns and trying to score cheap political points, by any means possible, must be separated from the time for delivering dividends of democracy. The occupant of the Number One office in the land is father of all and not of one party.’ This is exactly what we are saying!” ACN said.
The party said it should be counted out of those who have engaged in “unprecedented attacks” on the character of the President, saying an analysis of its press statements over the years will show a party that has been measured in its use of words, dignified in its stance on issues and consistent on the need for the government of the day to ensure good governance and total respect for the rule of law.
“While we will continue to show nothing but total respect for the office of the President, we will not be cowed into relenting in engaging in regular constructive criticism of the government of the day. Not even the thinly-veiled threat contained in Abati’s statement, that ‘Alhaji Lai Mohammed needs to be reminded that the ACN’s culture of throwing abusive and disparaging comments is getting out of control’, will be enough to make us shirk our role as the nation’s biggest opposition party.” Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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They should give respect to the president.The statements should be reverted.Personal assault should be avoided,no matter how.ACN chief,be moderated & matured.I'm not partisan, but a president is a president.When OBJ was there,they couldn't try these nonsense talks.
ReplyDeleteAproko keep quiet, why will a president bother more on party issue than security, they should call him a fool, he deserve it.
ReplyDeleteIs party issue our greatest problem now, GEJ get yourself a real agenda cos you are gradually loosing focus on how to take Nigeria forward......
It is first the responsibility of the president to be presidential in conduct, words and in behaviour.
ReplyDeleteThis is the same president that referred to senior and well-known citizens of this same country as rascals that states in the south west should not be left in the hands of, for me that's irresponsible and cannot command the respect of anybody when talking to or about him.
Mr President appear always to try to use over-excited comments to cover his failure in dealing with the critical problems confronting the nation. Or how is what PDP is and what other parties are not a priority that political jobbers like Reuben Abati starts to sing in the town square as a new release an importance compared to the myriad of threatening situations we face everyday in Nigeria?
Does Goodluck Jonathan think he's the president of PDP, or the president of Nigeria?
I suggest that when he begins to behave presidential, he will have the respect of the office without even having to employ someone whose integrity has taken a nose-dive like Abati to remind anyone that he's a president.
Nigerians should know by now nothing good will come from PDP,this party and its thieftains is A CURSE ON THIS NATION. Please lets get rid of them all that is if the elections are real and not just make belienes.
ReplyDelete