Wife of the President, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, on Sunday denied asking Rivers state Governor, Rotimi Amaechi for funds meant for the state.
Amaechi had while speaking in Port Harcourt at the joint graduation of the students of University of Ibadan and pioneer graduates of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, on Saturday quoted as saying that his problem with Mrs. Jonathan started after he rejected her demand.
“I refused to give them money in Abuja because if I do that, I won’t be able to carry out any development project or finish the road from Rumuolumeni to Rumuepirikom.
“The quarrel between me and the wife of the President is because she said I should bring your money, Rivers people’s money and share with her,” he said.
But Mrs. Jonathan, in a statement by her media assistant, Mr. Ayo Adewuyi, said Amaechi’s statement was a deliberate attempt to malign her and score cheap political point.
“Having waited patiently for Governor Amaechi to refute the statement credited to him about the First Lady, (with the assumption that he was misquoted), it has become clear that it was a deliberate attempt to malign Dame Patience Jonathan and score cheap political point.
“The Governor may have been beclouded by the political uncertainty surrounding him to make such a jaundiced and unsubstantiated allegation that the First Lady asked him to bring Rivers State money to share.
“This is a blatant lie designed to denigrate the person of Dame Patience Jonathan and rubbish the Presidency. This is to say the least most unfortunate.
“It is crystal clear that Governor Amaechi is looking for cheap excuse for his failure in the governance of the state. We say without any iota of equivocation that the First Lady never made such request and could not have done so in any way either directly and indirectly” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the Presidency has warned Amaechi to stop insulting the President and First Lady or face legal action
