Jonathan, family move personal effects from Aso Rock

President Goodluck Jonathan and
his family members have started
moving their personal belongings
out of the Presidential Villa, Abuja,
few days after the President lost his
re-election bid, Saturday PUNCH can
authoritatively report.
Our correspondent sighted some
buses loaded with travel bags
moving out of the President’s
official residence at about midday
on Friday.
One of the buses, a white 18-seater
Hiace bus marked PF 6244 AL, was
still being loaded with bags of
different shades and sizes at the
time of filing this report.
It was not clear at press time where
the buses were heading for.
A source said the early removal of
the personal effects of the first
family might have been
necessitated by the need for the
renovation of the residence ahead
of the May 29 handover date.
For renovation work to commence
on time, the President may have to
be operating from outside the
residence in the days ahead.
Saturday PUNCH also learnt that the
Presidency had commenced a
discreet investigation into how a
recording of the telephone call by
the President to Maj. Gen.
Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) on
March 31, congratulating him on his
victory at the last Saturday’s
presidential election was leaked.
The recording which revealed
details of what transpired between
the two leaders went viral on the
Internet on Thursday.
The audio of the conversation
credited to one ENDS.ng
@EveryNigerian was titled,
“Historic congratulatory call from
President Goodluck Jonathan to
President-elect Muhammadu
Buhari on March 31, 2015.”
A government official, who pleaded
anonymity, told our correspondent
on Friday that the Presidency was
embarrassed by the leaked
recording.
While saying that a thorough
investigation is underway, the
security source said the first step
was to ascertain whether the
recording was leaked from the
Presidency or was made public
from the President-elect’s camp.
He said it was only if it was
discovered that the recording was
leaked from the Presidency that
further investigation would be
conducted to ascertain those
behind it in order to mete out
appropriate punishment.
He, however, refused to talk on
how long the investigation will
take.
“Definitely, unauthorised release of
a raw recording of the President’s
telephone conversation, if from our
(Presidency’s) end is a security
breach that cannot go without
being investigated,” he said.
The President also promised on
Friday to break his silence on his
experience in office and other
sundry issues at the appropriate
time.
He, however, did not give any
indication on when the appropriate
time will be.
Jonathan made the promise when
State House correspondents
approached him for interview at
the end of the Good Friday Service
organised by the Aso Villa Chapel.
“Don’t worry; I will talk to you at
the appropriate time,” the
President said amid smile as he
made his way from the chapel to
his official residence.
He was accompanied to the three-
hour service that featured the
Seven Words of Christ on the Cross
by Governor Seriake Dickson of
Bayelsa State, and the Executive
Secretary, Nigerian Christians
Pilgrims Commission, Mr. John
Kennedy-Okpara.
The seven short exhortations that
accompanied the seven lessons all
centred on the sacrifice the
preachers said Jonathan made to
keep the county united.
They likened Jonathan’s decision to
concede defeat in the last
Saturday’s presidential election
and congratulate the President-
elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari
(retd.) of the All Progressives
Congress to the sacrifice Jesus
Christ made to save mankind.
All the preachers agreed that the
bold step taken by the President at
the appropriate time was
commendable.
They urged him to remain focused
because his future is in the hands of
God.
“This man (Jonathan) said here that
he is the most criticised President
and he prophesied that by the time
he will be leaving, he will be the
most celebrated President. That
has come to pass with the way he is
being celebrated worldwide for
conceding defeat,” one of the
clergymen who led intercessory
prayers said.
The service also featured
renditions of special hymns as well
as intercessory prayers for the
President, for peace and for the
country at large.
Apart from Dickson and Kennedy-
Okpara, the Chairman, Federal Civil
Service Commission, Mrs. Joan Ayo;
Managing Director, News Agency of
Nigeria, Mr. Ima Niboro; and the
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of
Power, Ambassador Godknows Igali,
also attended the service.
Wife of the President, Patience; and
his mother, Eunice, were however
absent. Both of them have hitherto
been accompanying Jonathan to
such service.
The poorly-attended service saw
only the first three rows of both
sides of the chapel occupied by
worshippers.
Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule
Lamido, on Thursday evening
admitted that the Peoples
Democratic Party had not been able
to properly manage its successes.
He said in the last 16 years of being
in charge of the country, the party
made what he described as “very
very costly mistakes.”
Lamido made this position known
to State House correspondents
after a closed-door meeting with
President Jonathan at the
Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The governor, whose state is one of
the states where Jonathan lost the
March 28 presidential election,
however did not give details of the
mistakes he claimed the party
made.
He said, “I am sure if you know the
party’s history, what it went
through in the last 16 years, it has
the capacity to bounce back.
“And more with the elections with
pains and the anger, PDP made
some mistakes.
“I have been saying so, the party
made very very costly mistakes and
we have not been able to properly
manage our successes. But to me, I
don’t think quitting PDP is the
answer.”
Reacting to the result of the
election that produced Buhari as
the President-elect, the governor
said whoever becomes the
President is a Nigerian President
and not a President for a particular
region. On the belief that PDP
governors who lost their states to
opposition did not work hard
enough, Lamido warned against
going into blame game.
“We won’t go into blame game. In
what way will this blame change
the attitude of the crowd?
Leadership is a very huge burden
and is normal for followership to
stick in other to look at things from
their own perspective,” he said.
Lamido said Nigerians had spoken
in very loud and unmistaken ways
and so their choice and rights
should be respected.
He commended Buhari for his hard-
earned victory, while adding that
the victory belongs to the nation.
“We praise Buhari for being able to
take the ticket from the PDP even
though I am not happy, but it’s
Nigeria that won, not Buhari.
“None of them lost but Nigeria won
and enough of the anxiety, enough
of the worry and the fear in Africa,”
he added.
While admitting that there is a
tendency of the bandwagon effect
of the presidential and National
Assembly elections rubbing off on
the April 11 governorship election,
the governor said it was up to PDP
leaders to work.
Buhari defeated Jonathan in the
March 28 presidential election
believed to be the keenest in the
political history of Nigeria.
Though pockets of violence were
recorded in some polling units in
the country, the presidential
election was adjudged to be
credible.
President Jonathan had
congratulated Buhari on his victory
in the poll. He was also said to have
asked the Peoples Democratic
Party not to challenge the outcome
of the poll at the election petition
tribunal.
Two days before the conduct of the
election, Jonathan and Buhari were
made to renew their peace accord
they signed on February 14 which
committed them to credible and
violence-free election.
The renewing of the peace accord
was initiated by the Gen.
Abdulsalami Abubakar-led National
Peace Committee on 2015 Elections.
President Jonathan had, however,
met with some members of the
House of Representatives elected
on the PDP platform.
It was learnt that the meeting was
part of the efforts aimed at
resolving the post-primaries crisis
in the party.
It was further learnt that the
meeting was also meant to avert
the impeachment moves against
the President by some aggrieved
lawmakers.
The meeting which was held inside
the new Banquet Hall of the
Presidential Villa, Abuja was also
attended by the National Chairman
of the PDP, Alhaji Adamu Muazu;
and the National Deputy Chairman,
Uche Secondus.
The lawmakers were led to the
meeting by the Deputy Speaker,
Emeka Ihedioha; and the Majority
Leader, Mulikat Adeola-Akande.
Apart from Ihedioha who was
driven to the venue in his official
car, others were driven to and from
the venue in two Coaster buses.
None of them spoke with
journalists after the meeting.
The President later met with
security chiefs in continuation of
efforts to tackle insecurity currently
being witnessed in parts of the
country.

Make it fast pls, omo akin

Lolz

Abi, wot do u expect

I think he still have about a month and half to go.

eddyvic wrote:

I think he still have about a month and half to go.

Let him start now 4 him nt to 4get sumtin

Lolz

OLOBE wrote:

eddyvic wrote:

I think he still have about a month and half to go.

Let him start now 4 him nt to 4get sumtin

una get bad mouth

OLOBE wrote:

Make it fast pls, omo akin

fast in waiting

Lobatan

OLOBE wrote:

Abi, wot do u expect

lolz

Abeg make u sign all money way they 4 aso rock

U better follow d winning team

aneke peter chukwujekwu wrote:

Abeg make u sign all money way they 4 aso rock

Hahahahaha, thief

OLOBE wrote:

U better follow d winning team

He will not

eddyvic wrote:

OLOBE wrote:

U better follow d winning team

He will not

yes ooo

if u cant beat them join them.

Otuoke loading!

delafirst wrote:

if u cant beat them join them.

The fat is that I have already join since I can't beat GMB

Good of u omo akin