Presidential spokesman Reuben Abati in an interview with the Nigerian Tribune,
which he calls “explosive”, defends the commander-in-chief President
Jonathan, blasts the opposition party – APC – stressing that many of
those who had been seen as the president’s most vocal critics are
returning to his camp.
He further addressed the party members as “ignorant, unintelligent and mischievous.”
“I have had cause to respond to those people on many occasions. It is
very obvious now that it is those people criticizing President Jonathan
who are totally clueless. They have no idea whatsoever. You are
beginning to see it now. The thing around their neck is beginning to
play out. Some of their key spokespersons who used to criticize
President Jonathan are now all rushing to come to the President’s party.
They are in fact gate-crashing.
I mean, one of the key figures in the APC
has declared for the PDP in his home state in Adamawa. And that is a
man who was once famously quoted as saying that Nigeria under President
Jonathan is a sinking ship. The same man is joining that ship because he
has seen that the ship is not sinking at all and that the captain of
the ship is a good captain who is providing quality leadership. He has
seen the light and the light has set him free. That is the kind of
illumination that has been happening to many of these persons. They
suddenly see the light and they recant and I am very happy.
Even a former governor and a former
Minister have also joined the PDP. These are people who used to
criticize the ruling government, these are people who used to criticize
President Jonathan but they keep seeing the light. We welcome such
people.
So, the same people you are quoting, many
of them are coming into the PDP. Many of them are joining President
Jonathan. And I believe that as we move towards 2015, you will find more
and more people like that. We don’t need to say anything anymore. The
Lord Almighty is winning the battle for us.
These are the people who championed the
various abuses and they are turning to our side now and supporting us. I
mean, there was one person in the fold of APC who even said I was the
child of a same-sex marriage just because I pointed out to him that his
criticism of President Jonathan was unfair. Today, he is one of the
leading defenders of President Jonathan. The thing speaks for itself,
then.
They even now make my job easier because
those people that I used to fight with, they are coming to our side one
by one. We are waiting for Nasir el-Rufai, Lai Muhammed, Oby Ezekwesili,
Dino Melaye, and the Jagaban (Bola Tinubu) and their Northern
godfathers: may they all see the light, and may the light set them free.
And that tells you something, that we have a president who is a true
leader who in the fullness of time, you find his worst critics, becoming
his strongest promoters. And that is our point; this whole thing should
not be about ego, it is about doing the best in all circumstances for
our country. Nigeria must and will prevail. We welcome everybody who is
willing to be part of that national agenda of progress and
transformation. ” he said!
