Bayelsa ministerial nomination: Goodluck Jonathan’s aide debunks ex-president’s involvement

Ikechukwu Eze, the spokesman to former President Goodluck Jonathan, has dismissed allegations by the Bayelsa APC Elders Council that Jonathan nominated, or attempted to nominate the Bayelsa ministerial appointee in President Bola Tinubu’s yet-to-be announced cabinet.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Eze said Jonathan would have ordinarily ignored the allegations “given that neither the authors who are shadowy characters nor their nebulous organisation, Bayelsa APC Elders Council, which is unknown to the structure of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, command any credibility.

“However, we have continued to receive calls from friends and well-wishers who are concerned that some innocent Nigerians might be misled by the duplicitous fabrication, hence this rebuttal.

“We state without equivocation that the publication is false, malicious, preposterous and unnecessary. It is instructive that the authors of the hackery who are quick to spin such an unfounded narrative could neither provide any clarification on the nature of the alleged consultations nor name the beneficiary of the envisaged nomination.

“We can only guess that a handful of faltering low profile politicians might have wrongly misinterpreted Jonathan’s recent visit to the Presidential Villa in Abuja as political lobbying, even when the former President, who is ECOWAS mediator in Mali and Chairman of ECOWAS Council of the Wise, clearly explained that he had gone to brief President Bola Tinubu, who has just been elected as the Chairman of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Governments, on recent developments in the sub-region.

“The publication is simply a tactless ramble by some benighted politicians seeking to draw attention to their hopeless plight by raising malicious allegations against the former President. Howbeit, they have failed in their bid because most astute politicians within and outside Bayelsa State are well aware of Jonathan’s selfless and exemplary disposition to politics and statesmanship. Such people will never subscribe to the cheap blackmail from the so-called Bayelsa APC Elders Council.”

The statement further noted: “Why do we think that their futile antics sound familiar? Could it be because the spurious allegation seems to have been cut out of the same worn fabric woven by those unfortunate politicians who regularly hurled the most acerbic missiles at Dr. Jonathan, while he was in office as President?

“Today, they remain pitiable characters because all their efforts to sully the reputation of the former President have been in vain, as his image has continued to soar, both locally and internationally.

“While we once again dismiss the claim as untrue, we advise Nigerians to ignore mischief makers and their web of fake news because of the danger they pose to the peace and healthy growth of our nation,” the statement concluded.