"Respect your age" Jonathan tells Akande

President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday told the interim Chairman of the newly-registered All Progressives Congress, Chief Bisi Akande, to respect his age. The President’s  admonition was in reaction to Akande’s description of Jonathan as an unserious-minded person  running a kindergarten  government. In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the President said it was “certainly rude, ill-mannered, uncharitable and hypocritical” for Akande to describe him on Saturday  in such an uncharitable manner.
The statetement was titled,“President Jonathan to Akande: Respect the truth, your age and Nigeria.”
The statement pointed out that Akande did no justice to his age and status when he resorted to “propagating falsehood, wilfully insulting the President of his country, impugning his integrity and desecrating the office which his party wishes to take over in 2015 by fair or foul means.” It reads in part, “We have noted with dismay,  the continuation of efforts by leaders of the opposition to promote themselves and their party through the irresponsible denigration of President  Jonathan and the exalted office of the President. “The interim national chairman of the APC, Chief  Akande sank to a new low in this regard  when he rudely and falsely described President Jonathan as a ‘kindergarten’ leader who treats national issues with levity. “We urge Chief Akande and his fellow-travellers to remember that there are laws against libel and defamation of character in this country even if there are no legal impediments to indecorous, hypocritical and unpatriotic vituperations. “It is certainly rude, ill-mannered, uncharitable and hypocritical for Chief Akande to falsely and cavalierly allege that a President who toils tirelessly every day of the week, evolving and implementing workable solutions to Nigeria’s problems, is handling national issues with levity.
“By his very unguarded and intemperate outburst, Chief Akande exhibited not only an unbecoming lack of respect for the person and office of the President of his country, but also a complete disregard for the patriotic feelings of the millions of Nigerians who voted for President Jonathan and who continue to appreciate his sincere efforts to positively transform the nation. “It is very sad and unfortunate that unbridled ambition for the office they constantly impugn and denigrate has blinded Chief Akande and his ilk to the visible accomplishments of the Jonathan Presidency.”  “Our advice to the APC is this: treat your party like a democratic association and don’t mistake it for the Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) that someone used to force his way to power.” The statement added that nothing else but “a manic and unscrupulous quest for power” could have led Akande to make such accusations against a President who, amongst other significant achievements, has been praised for his handling of the insurgency in some parts of Northern Nigeria.” The Peoples Democratic Party  was also not left out in  defending  the President as  it  alleged that  the main agenda  of   Akande and  other prominent members of the APC  was to liquidate the nation’s economy.
Okeke  said that Akande and El-Rufai were aggrieved because of the refusal of the President to join the APC  when he was invited. Advising Nigerians  not to take the two APC chiefs  seriously, he   wondered why Akande, at his age, would be making such a statement about the President. He  said, “Chief Akande ought to be a man we would all respect because of his age. When they went and formed the APC, we advised them to focus on  the economy and security and not name-calling. But unfortunately, it is sad that they are resorting to name-calling and abusing the President. “We have no time for such banal talks from these people. This was a man (Akande) who was begging the President last week to come and join  their  party (APC). Now, he has realised that the President has rejected the offer and that is why he is bellyaching. It is a shame.”

Culled from The Punch