Action Congress of Nigeria on Sunday demanded clarification from the Presidency over the whereabouts and health status of Patience, wife of President Goodluck Jonathan.
While Patience is said to be hospitalised in a German hospital, the Presidency said “she was only away to take a ‘moment’s rest’ given that she has not taken a rest since President Jonathan’s election last year”.
But in an interview with reporters in Ilorin on Sunday, the ACN National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, insisited that Nigerians had the right to know the true postion of the President’s wife.
Mohammed said, “She is the First Lady and as such there are certain duties she performs. Her wellbeing, to a large extent, is also the wellbeing of the nation, especially these days when the office is not just a glamour office; it packs a lot of power and influence.
“When our First Lady disappears from the radar, so to say, for several weeks and nobody can tell us precisely where she is and what she is doing, I think it is a shame to the whole country.
“I do not see anything strange or undignifying in saying that ‘the First Lady had food poison, we are to fly her abroad for treatment and we will keep you informed of her daily welfare.’
“That will elicit a lot of support and Nigerians had shown in the past that irrespective of what they think about their leaders, when their leaders in the past had health problems, there was this outpouring of emotions.
“I think the handling of this matter is wrong and we must tell our information managers that ministers, governors and presidents and their wives are no longer the property of a small clique.
“They showed that they have no respect for us. I think whoever is in charge of managing information should come out today and tell Nigerians precisely where our First Lady is and what is wrong with her.”
Authorities of the United Arab Emirates have denied knowledge of the news making the rounds that Patience got involved in food poisoning during her recent visit to Dubai.
While a section of the media said she was being treated for food poisoning, others said she underwent surgery for ruptured appendicitis. Some others said she was operated upon for fibroid.
But a Dubai’s newspaper, Khaleej Times, in its September 8 edition, quoted food control officials in Dubai as saying that they were unaware of an alleged food poisoning in the emirate that has reportedly affected the wife of the President.
Assistant Director-General of Public Health, Safety and Environment Monitoring Sector, Salem bin Mesmar; and Director of the Food Control Department, Khalid Al Awadhi, said they had not even heard about it, let alone investigate the poison allegation.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
Hey there,
ReplyDeleteWe are advancing to many political implications to issues and courses that are not political.
Am wondering if Nigerian voted Mrs Patience Jonathan into a political office that will warrant the accountability of her where about.
Please Nigerians don t give credence to the illegal office called first lady and the person occupying. Therefore this call for her whereabout is uncalled for.
Please i do not mean any disrespect to the wife of the president of the Federal Republic, but trying to put facts straight, so that energy be channeled to constructive national issues.
Am surprised at the sudden sympathy and love from the ACN to the First lady Dame Patience Jonathan couple with the fact that the same set of people in ACN claimed the office of the First lady in not constitutional, so let this remain Mr. President affairs and not a matter for the political clique.
ReplyDeleteShe has gone for plastic surgery. Make she no return in body bag like her predecessors o.
ReplyDeleteThese ACN people self. What are they taking us for. "Follow Follow"?. They just have to critizise anything that has to do with Jonathan & PDP and expect us to swallow it. The issue of 1st lady should not be brought to the front burner of Nigeria politics.
ReplyDeletePls Lai Mohammed, there are so many rotten things going on in ACN presently. No single word from you when Fashola inreased LASU school fees from N45,000 to N250,000 and some protesting students were arrested and taking to Alausa. Also Lagos state is about duplicating driving license. Had it been PDP, it would have been fire & brimstones. Pls ACN clean up your house also and not everything worth critizising.
........Tquality
I think the health of the president's wife is a private issue that concerns him and those he feels should know about it. it should not be a subject for public discussion. there are more critical issues that calls for national concern not this. So, i advice those who seems to be mocking the president in disguise should desist from doing so before nemesis catches up on you.
ReplyDelete...........Oke
We did not vote for her so we don't care. She should also therefore back away from public functions as she is not an official representative of womens affairs
ReplyDeleteWhy are these jobless set of politician always pokenosing in affairs that doesnt concern them, when has the first lady's whereabout has become a national issue for discussion, is it the first lady that was voted into power or the president, cant they learn from advanced nation how opposition can positively contribute to the development of a nation rather than being nuisance?
ReplyDelete