Presidential spokesman Reuben Abati has been effectively sidelined, with the Presidency hiring Ogun-state born medical doctor, Doyin Okupe, to handle President Goodluck Jonathan’s publicity. Mr. Okupe’s designation is as a senior special assistant on public affairs. One source revealed that Mr. Okupe is being brought in to act as attack dog against critics of the president and his wife. 

 

Our sources within Aso Rock disclosed that the personnel shake-up came at the instance of First Lady Patience Jonathan who bitterly complained that Mr. Abati was not doing a satisfactory job of shielding her as well as her husband from media attacks. 

 

One source revealed that Mrs. Jonathan had been fuming over a recent spate of media attacks targeted at her. The media, civil society activists as well as opposition political parties have recently pummeled Mrs. Jonathan for accepting an absurd appointment as a permanent secretary in Bayelsa State and the naming of an Abuja street after her. 

 

More recently, she has faced a barrage of criticism for squandering billions of naira of public funds to buy 200 expensive cars for a jamboree of African First Ladies in Abuja. 

 

At first, the Presidency responded by stating that the cars were donated by Cocharis Motors. However, the story developed into an evolving scandal when the car dealer insisted that the cars were purchased, but declined to disclose who paid for the automobiles. 

 

“The attacks over the cars finally overwhelmed Madam [Mrs. Jonathan], and she blamed her image troubles on Dr. Abati’s incompetence,” said a source. He added that Mrs. Jonathan then demanded that Mr. Okupe, a medical doctor who served as former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s spokesman, be brought in to take charge of the Presidency’s image management. “The impression is that Dr. Abati has been too soft and has committed too many blunders in his attempts to defend the president and his wife,” said one source. 

 

One source said Mr. Abati’s role may now be a sinecure, with diminishing importance in the president’s media strategy. Mr. Okupe, who has held several political posts and once eyed the Ogun State governorship, will assume primary responsibility for managing the image of the president and his wife.

 

Another source in Aso Rock told SaharaReporters, “Dr. Abati is a victim of a rumpus in the Villa over the 200 cars. The First Lady protested to the president on Wednesday evening over the bad publicity. She queried the relevance of the presidential media team, headed by Dr. Reuben Abati.

She insisted on immediate overhaul of the presidential media and publicity crew. The president now decided to move to hire an attack dog as a senior special assistant on public affairs.” 

 

One source explained that Mr. Abati further infuriated Mrs. Jonathan when he tried to argue that it was the duty of her media team to handle her publicity affairs. 

 

A Presidency source who witnessed Mrs. Jonathan’s fury told SaharaReporters that “The First Lady was close to tears as she desperately declared her innocence. She said, ‘I did not award any contract, I did not buy any car. Why are they writing this about me? And nobody in the media team could defend me and my family. Those coming for our meeting are not up to 200 First Ladies, but then they say I bought 200 cars.’”

 

The source said all the presidential aides who were around at the time the First Lady delivered her tirade were speechless.

 

Two sources told us that the Presidency decided that it was time to bring in somebody who is willing to act as an attack dog in the same way that Femi Fani-Kayode did for former President Obasanjo.

 

“Fani-Kayode would have been brought in, but he has been a big attacker of the president. So the president decided to approach Dr. Okupe,” said one source. 

 

Mr. Abati, a former columnist and editorial page editor for the (Nigerian) Guardian, and Mr. Okupe share something in common: they are both indigenes of Ogun State.

 

A source who knows Mr. Okupe described him as needing “urgent financial rehabilitation” after a series of political woes. The source added that the Presidency has decided it “it has had enough of these attacks from the opposition. It is now fire-for-fire.


Source: http://mobile.saharareporters.com/news-page/abati-sidelined-mrs-jonathan-fumes-over-bad-publicity-okupe-hired-attack-dog

seunajia:

Mr. Abati, a former columnist and editorial page editor for the (Nigerian) Guardian, and Mr. Okupe share something in common: they are both indigenes of Ogun State.

You are Wrong, Abati is an Ijaw Man from Delta State, try & always cross check your News

Ganys:
You are Wrong, Abati is an Ijaw Man from Delta State, try & always cross check your News

Reuben Abati

 

Reuben Abati, born November 7, 1965 in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria, is Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria.[1] He was previously a newspaper columnist and the chairman of the editorial board of the Nigerian newspaper The Guardian from 2001 to 2011.[2]

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuben_Abati

Ganys:
You are Wrong, Abati is an Ijaw Man from Delta State, try & always cross check your News

Yoruba man nor go name em pikin Reuben.

Serve mr abbatior very well, u are now a mellon shell that is forbidden to see in early morning. However let's wait & see what mr okupe is capable of.

I just pity this Abati guy, a man that was well respected back then before he was chosen as GEJs SSA. And finally, GEJ dropped him all of a sudden. I doubt if he'll find it easy to regain that his integrity.

okupe was with abacha govt.

the days of attack is no more in politics.

lmao.

Unfortunately for Jonadindinrin Odeechukwu Abdul Kasali Reterdeen, 1 million man publicists can not launder Madam Umblerra's daily blunders and bush woman ways...

Surprised Patience didnt complain that they blamed her obese, akpu stature on Prgenancy.

so patience dame is now powerful enough to influence presidential appointment,no wonder gej is regarded clueless if a person like dame is so pwerful enough to be influencing our president.

@Post

No amount of changing SSA will change GEJ and his wife's tainted image. There is already irreparable damage done to GEJ's image the minute he admitted he had cabals in his government and blatantly refused to name them. Also, him budgeting so much money for food and all the wasteful spending in his government is making many citizens of our country angry. The media attack will continue no matter how hard GEJ tries to fight 'fire for fire.'

is abati ijaw?

dasparrow: @Post

No amount of changing SSA will change GEJ and his wife's tainted image. There is already irreparable damage done to GEJ's image the minute he admitted he had cabals in his government and blatantly refused to name them. Also, him budgeting so much money for food and all the wasteful spending in his government is making many citizens of our country angry. The media attack will continue no matter how hard GEJ tries to fight 'fire for fire.'

intelligent point

Fani Kayode has been over the moon on the appointment of Doyin Okupe as SSA public affairs. Okupe can return the favour by taking Fani Kayode as his own personal assistant on presidential canine attacks. They are both in dire need of rehabilitation after failing on several political adventures and being flat broke and broken.

Reuben have lost his job, what 'll happen to the 40men laptops crew?

Well down

Okupe will be embarking on mission impossible to redeem GEJ's image. I just hope he doesn't cause more damage.

Which image self? do they have any image to protect in the first place?

Somebody should please help musiwa....he needs help fast...dude is losing sanity on an hourly basis.

Hmm... Musiwa sha..

Another poorly fabricated piece of junk news from the stable of Sahara SHOPRITE of lies. . In their haste to spread this blackmail, they didn't bother to make proper verification for something as common as Reuben Abati's background and state of origin. fools.

If the president is dissatisfied with Abati's performance as the SHOPRITE of lies tried to portray, then why retaining Abati and employing Okupe in another capacity.
For all intents and purposes, Abati's job is still in tact. His position still remains the number one spokesperson to the president.

What the SHOPRITE of lies failed to understand is that there is a clear distinction between SA on public affairs and media spokesperson.
And every govt has the two positions accordingly.

I believe the foul mouthed Doyin is also going to employ his own 40 man laptops too, too bad the present 40 laptops aren't happy at all because there is going to be a shake up in their camp and some of them are going to lose their jobs to new losers like them lol.


Na only jersey una wan change, una still be worthless goons.

PATIENCE... 2015.

So has Ruby run out of lies? What will be his job description now? Someone should advise him that he can't come back to write rubbish in any newspaper aganist the government that he has dutifully served. We, the "masses" have declared him a persona non grata.