President Jonathan To Amaechi: ‘You Are A Rascal’

The political confrontation raging between the Presidency and Governor
Amaechi intensified yesterday, with the presidency describing Governor
Rotimi Amaechi as a rascal and warning him to stop insulting President
Goodluck Jonathan or be ready to face the consequences of his
utterances, including legal actions
Punch report has it that both spouses replied to the member of card
holder of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
President Goodluck Jonathan made a statement through his Special
Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, calling the
allegations"baseless".Expressing shock over the fact that Amaechi had
lost the sense of responsible political behaviour adding that he was
pursuing his selfish political interests.
"Governor Rotimi Amaechi took his obnoxious willingness to denigrate
the highest office in the land in a reckless bid to advance his
selfish political interests to a new level of irresponsible and
rascally behaviour yesterday (Saturday) in Port Harcourt with his
totally false and baseless vituperations against President Jonathan,
the First Lady and the Federal Government."
Goodluck Jonathan also accused Amaechi of losing the"touch with reality".
"We can only assume therefore that he is deliberately spewing
malicious falsehood in a desperate effort to incite the people of
Rivers State and Nigeria against his assumed political foes."
He warned Amaechi against crossing both legal and moral limits by such
claims, which aim at tarnishing his wife's reputation.
"The immunity which he currently enjoys notwithstanding, Governor
Amaechi should be under no illusions: A day of reckoning will surely
come when he will answer for all his actions and false allegations
against President Jonathan, the First Lady and the Federal Government.
He should also know that Nigerians are aware of the truth and will
never be fooled or swayed by his arrant opportunism and anti-Jonathan
ranting."
On the same day Patience Jonathan reacted with a statement made by her
media assistant, Mr. Ayo Adewuyi, describing Amaechi's allegations as
a lie meaning to rubbish Presidency.
"Having waited patiently for Governor Amaechi to refute the statement
credited to him about the First Lady, (with the assumption that he was
misquoted), it has become clear that it was a deliberate attempt to
malign Dame Patience Jonathan and score cheap political point. The
governor may have been beclouded by the political uncertainty
surrounding him to make such a jaundiced and unsubstantiated
allegation that the First Lady asked him to bring Rivers State's money
to share."
President's wife shared her opinion that Amaechi"is looking for a
cheap excuse for his failure in the governance of the state".
She debunked the claim that she had ever requested him to giver her
Rivers money, either directly or indirectly.
Patience Jonathan, who comes from River State, stressed the importance
of setting peaceful, free of political wars, atmosphere in the state
for improving socio-economic development in the territory.
It would be recalled that on Saturday Amaechi accused Jonathan and his
administration of failure to implement the projects initiated by the
governor, of encouraging corruption. Moreover, the politician insisted
that his problems with Dame Patience started when he refused to
share"Rivers peoples money"with her.