President Goodluck Jonathan with a former Minister of Federal Capital
Territory, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, identifying himself and four others
as some of those on the list.
El-Rufai's tweet on Thursday evening triggered another controversy
when he wrote that he was number seven on the alleged Jonathan's
snipers' watch list.
In the tweet, El-Rurai identified four others: a former military head
of state, General (Retd) Muhammadu Buhari; a former Governor of Lagos
State, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu; the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi
Amaechi, and a former Osun State Governor and Interim Chairman of the
All Progressives Congress, Chief Bisi Akande, as also making the list.
But Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr.
Reuben Abati, on Friday described El-Rufai's claim as sheer
irresponsible talk.
A former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo had, in a letter
dated December 2, 2013, accused Jonathan of training snipers and
putting 1,000 people on a watch list. Obasanjo had also accused
Jonathan of having a killer-squad.
The President denied the allegations in his own letter to the former
president, dated December 20, 2013. In the letter, Jonathan described
Obasanjo as a liar and challenged him to provide evidence to back his
allegations.
However, El-Rufai tweeted that he would start worrying when those
ahead of him, including the four names mentioned, got killed.
All the persons identified in El-Rufai's tweet are members of the main
opposition party- APC.
His tweet which followed other ones which were critical of Jonathan's
administration in the course of the evening, stated:
"On this note, I am going to bed. I am number 7 on the GEJ (Goodluck
Ebele Jonathan) snipers' list, so I will only worry when GMB (General
Muhammadu Buhari), Asiwaju, Amaechi, Akande etc are killed."
It will be recalled that Amaechi had earlier identified himself as the
number one person on the alleged list.
Amaechi had made the allegation at a rally of the APC, held at the
Liberation Stadium in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on December 28,
2013.
He had said: "I read the President's letter; he said Obasanjo should
prove and name those on the list. I am number one on the list. I am
number one."
The Chief of Staff, Rivers State Government House, Chief Tony Okocha,
had even insisted that Amaechi had proof to back up his allegations,
saying, "One thing you should know is that Governor Amaechi does not
say one thing today on an issue and say another thing tomorrow on the
same issue. You are aware of the battle between us and the police.
Considering all we have passed through in the hands of the police,
would anybody doubt the fact that the governor is on the Presidency's
watch list?"
However, the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters,
Mr. Ahmed Gulak, had challenged Amaechi and dared him to "go ahead and
prove his claim."
"I don't really want to talk about him because he has lost
credibility. He is just like a drunken man in a china shop that wants
to bring down everybody with him," he had said.
Earlier on Thursday evening, El Rufai had also tweeted:
"GEJ has given Goodluck a dodgy tag while 'transformation' is about to
assume the same meaning as incompetence, zero capacity, retrogression!
"GEJ budgets N2bn to transform the six states of the North East.
International donors budget N33bn, but GEJ deposits N1.6bn for his
11th plane.
"GEJ's parrot claim they created 1.6 million jobs, while his
statistician reported that 112 million live in extreme poverty.
Transformation!
"GEJ's vehicle convoy contains 33 cars. It is the longest convoy in
the world & the largest Nigeria has ever seen since 1914.
Transformation!
"GEJ's presidential Air Fleet has 10 planes. Arik has 26. Aero – 16,
Dana-5. GEJ PAF is our 3rd largest airline in Nigeria.
Transformation!!"
In his response on Twitter, the Special Assistant to the President on
New Media, Reno Omokri, wrote, "Paranoia-Mental illness characterised
by delusions. Patients threaten others yet believe they're the one
under threat."
Reacting to El-Rufai's tweet, a human rights lawyer, Wahab Shittu,
however, said the allegation would not be taken seriously since he
failed to substantiate it.
Shittu added that Obasanjo and Amaechi should also substantiate their claims
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