Nigeria’s First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan (also known as Mama Peace) is on a long, determined walk to the procurement of peace and unity in Nigeria. She will achieve this through fasting and prayer.
This was made reference to in a statement by her Director of Information, Mrs. A.O. Adesugba, who was refuting an allegation that the President’s wife has been haranguing PDP governors to ensure the party’s embattled chairman Bamanga Tukur does’t lose his seat.
“Nobody should, under any guise, use the name of the first lady to cause division or discord in the nation as she has committed herself to fasting and praying for the peace and unity of Nigeria. The first lady will continue fasting until we achieve unity and peace in our fatherland.
“Last Tuesday, 17th December, 2013, Dame Patience led a National Women Fasting and prayer for peace and unity in Nigeria at an event in Abuja. Christian and Moslem women came together as agents of peace carrying olive branches and beseeching the Lord to uphold the peace and unity of Nigeria; peace in all the political parties; peace in the National Assembly and peace in the presidency, as only peace and unity can move our nation, Nigeria forward,” she said.
The First Lady’s Information Director said there was never any time Mrs Jonathan went to threaten anybody, let alone governors.
Referring to the report which accused her principal of haranguing PDP governors, Mrs Adesugba said; “The article makes reference to an unnamed source which purports that the First Lady, Patience Jonathan, met with some governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), urging them to support Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the PDP National Chairman, so that he retains his position.
“According to the article, Dame Jonathan discussed with the Kogi State Governor, Capt. Idris Wada, the Akwa Ibom Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, and the Abia State Governor, Dr. Theodore Orji.
“We would like to urge members of the Forth Estate of the Realm to be more mature in reporting and adhere to the basic ethics of journalism by being fair, factual and balanced.
“We would like to urge members of the Forth Estate of the Realm to be more mature in reporting and adhere to the basic ethics of journalism by being fair, factual and balanced.
“The article made reference to a vague source with no name. No reporter approached the first lady or her office for comments or at least to ascertain the veracity of the story. In that respect the story was not balanced.”
The statement said the language used in the report was not fair, saying it should draw consternation from all well meaning individuals as being uncharitable.
“Words like ‘haranguing the party’s governors’ and ‘Threatens PDP Governors’ are not only untrue but capable of causing disaffection and portraying the first lady in a bad light.
“We wish to restate that the first lady, like any other Nigerian is guaranteed the freedom of expression and freedom of association as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution. The First Lady has always exercised this basic right maturely and patriotically by advocating peace, tolerance and dialogue as demonstrated in all her public speeches and statements.
“For the avoidance of doubt, it must be stated clearly that the first lady has never harangued or threatened anyone, needless to say, serving governors.
She urged Nigerians to look for those things that unite them as a people and shun things that divide them or cause disaffection among them.
“As journalists, let us write stories adhering strictly to good journalistic ethics. We owe our nation this by not lending hands to those promoting mischief and disaffection,” she added.
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