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 .
According to Punch, October 26, both spouses replied to the
member of card holder of the All Progressives Congress
(APC).
Goodluck Jonathan made a statement through his Special
Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, calling the
allegations “baseless”. The country leader expressed 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.”
Jonathan also accused Rivers governor 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.