Angry Reuben Abati blasts APC for accusing Jonathan of plotting Lagos rigging

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Affairs, Reuben Abati has reacted angrily to an allegation by the All Progressives Congress that President Goodluck Jonathan’s visit to Lagos on Thursday was part of a plot to rig Saturday’s gubernatorial election in the state.

The APC’s spokesperson, Lai Mohammed, had on Friday said (here) that Mr. Jonathan visited the nation’s commercial capital to fashion ways of rigging the election in favour of candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party.

But in a swift reaction,  Reuben Abati, said the allegation was wrong.

''Lai Muhammed is wrong to say that the President came to Lagos to rig the gubernatorial and state house of assembly elections scheduled for Saturday, April 11. He is of course lying as usual; and rude. President Jonathan visited Lagos. He arrived on Thursday and left on Friday. People visited him. So what? Anytime the president is in Lagos or any part of the country, a lot of people come to pay homage to him. Nothing unusual happened during his last visit to Lagos. Senator Musiliu Obanikoro’s visit to the president in Lagos is not something that anybody should use to play politics. Koro is a minister of the Federal Republic. He came to see his boss,'' Reuben siad.

Apart from Mr. Obanikoro, he said Messrs Jimmy Agbaje and Gani Adams, among others, visited the president while in Lagos.

''So to say that the president went to Lagos to supervise the rigging of Saturday’s election is most uncharitable and cruel. Lai Muhammed should look for another target and leave the President alone. His fatuous tale does not make any sense. I repeat: We will like to advise that the APC should just leave the President alone. President Jonathan was a candidate in the presidential election; he did not rig the election. Why would he want to rig tomorrow’s elections?'' Reuben asked.

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