Abati: Jonathan Didn’t Throw 56th Birthday Party in London, Returns Today There was no party to celebrate President Goodluck Jonathan’s 56th birthday on Wednesday night in London, his Special Adviser Media and Publicity Dr. Reuben Abati has said. Abati was responding to a report in an online media platform that President Jonathan took ill following a “heavy birthday party thrown to celebrate the President’s 56th birthday at his Presidential suite in the InterContinental Hotel in London”. The president was said to have taken ill on Thursday and unable to attend the opening meeting of Nigeria Honorary International Investors Council in London. But after a brief illness and medical check-up, Jonathan appeared at the Hilton Hotel, London venue of the council meeting on Friday where he finally delivered his speech. Abati, in the statement, said the president expressed his gratitude to all patriotic and well-meaning Nigerians, his supporters, friends and political associates who expressed and conveyed their sympathies and solidarity with him, through various means. He also commended the generality of the mainstream media whose coverage of the “slight health challenge in London was mostly factual, objective, fair-minded and supportive.” But the president condemned what he called “the utterly irresponsible, deplorable, highly unprofessional and unethical antics of certain fringe elements operating in the nebulous sphere of cyberspace who persist in seizing every opportunity to unjustifiably malign and impugn the character and integrity of the elected leader of their country. “It is very regrettable indeed that after, in compliance with President Jonathan’s standing instruction that Nigerians must never be kept in the dark about the state of his health, the public was duly informed that the President had received precautionary medical attention for an unexpected indisposition in London, Sahara Reporters and some other reckless, lawless, impudent and unpatriotic internet-based media chose to assault the sensibilities of all decent Nigerians again with their entirely fictional, malicious, hate-driven and scurrilous distortion of the facts of the President’s indisposition. “The suggestion by Sahara Reporters that President Jonathan took ill following a ‘heavy birthday party thrown to celebrate the President’s 56th birthday at his Presidential suite in the InterContinental Hotel in London’ is fictional nonsense as there was definitely no party in London to celebrate President Jonathan’s birthday on Wednesday night. “The truth is that President Jonathan observed his 56th birthday anniversary quietly. For part of the day, he was airborne, in transit between Abuja and London. On arrival in London, he spent the rest of the day in the privacy of his hotel room. It has never been his custom to celebrate birthday anniversaries and no exception was made this year. No birthday party was therefore held for the President in London and there was certainly no drinking spree as Sahara Reporters claimed. “As unregulated as they are, Sahara Reporters and their ilk are not beyond the bounds of legal action for libel and willful defamation of the character and reputation of a President who has courageously stepped forward to serve his country. “Their incessant claim of a bibulous President is pure fiction and blackmail, and the product of malicious imagination. We warn that our forbearance of their disrespectful caricaturing of the President is not limitless. “The Presidency will like to reiterate the trite point that no human being is beyond health challenges irrespective of their station in life. Sadly, this commonplace fact appears to be beyond the understanding of the publishers of Sahara Reporters who seem to have lost all sense of propriety, decency and human compassion. “The President is comforted by the prayers, support and overwhelming goodwill of the people of Nigeria, fully assured that the forces of good will continue to triumph over the forces of darkness in our land.” Following severe abdominal pains in London, doctors that examined and treated President Goodluck Jonathan has giveb him clean bill of health and certified him fully fit to return home and continue his official duties. Meanwhile, in another statement, Abati said “after a thorough evaluation of the President’s symptoms, medically referred to as acute abdomen, the doctors concluded that no surgical intervention was required. “President Jonathan will therefore return to Abuja tomorrow evening and will be at work in the Presidential Villa as usual on Monday. “The President is scheduled to depart from London at about 1400 hours GMT and arrive at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at about 2000 hours. He seizes this opportunity to thank all Nigerians once again for their sympathy, support and prayers for his quick recovery following the announcement of his indisposition.”
Posted on: Sun, 24 Nov 2013 10:17:46 +0000
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