Former President Goodluck Jonathan has dismissed a report that he is on
exile in Cote d’Ivoire.
The report, published yesterday by a national newspaper, claimed that Dr.
Jonathan had been given asylum in that Francophone country. His associates
were alarmed at the report.
But Dr. Jonathan yesterday said it was all false. He told The Nation on
the phone: “I’m not on exile. I have no cause to go on exile. It is a
wicked and malicious report.
“I was Vice President for two years and President for six years. I did
everything I could and I served my country very well. This is what they
keep saying anytime I’m outside the country. I was in Ecuador; they said I
was on exile. This is my second time in Cote d’Ivoire and I’m rounding off
my visit.
“It is a wicked attempt to link me with the renewed Niger Delta crisis.”
Also yesterday, Dr. Jonathan told his former cabinet members that he was
not on exile in Cote d’Ivoire.
He said he could not have been running away from any problem in the
country let alone going on exile.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said although Jonathan
had been implicated in all transactions under its investigation, the
ex-President was not yet its target.
The Federal Government is said to be looking into the rumour.
One of the intelligence agencies is believed to have sent its operatives
to Cote d’Ivoire to verify the report.
According to a former Minister of National Planning, Prof. Suleiman
Olanrewaju Abubakar, the ex-President spoke with him and others from
Abidjan, following the report.
Abubakar said Jonathan was only in transit in Cote d’Ivoire being his
second visit to the West African nation since he left office.
He said Jonathan actually spent his Christmas break in Cote d’Ivoire and
his visit to “this country is not new”.
The ex-minister quoted Jonathan as saying: “I am not on exile, I can never
be on exile, I am going to come back to Nigeria.
“I cannot run away from any problem, I am going to face whatever problem
that exists in Nigeria.”
Abubakar added: “The ex-President assured me and others that he was only
in transit in Cote d’Ivoire which he has visited thrice since handing over
power to President Muhammadu Buhari.”
A top source in EFCC, who spoke yesterday with our correspondent said
Jonathan was not yet the target of the anti-graft agency.
The source said; “The ex-President has been implicated in all transactions
we are investigating; he was virtually involved in everything.
“We are building up our investigations but he is not the target. We cannot
say we are not after him in terms of some transactions he approved.”
It was learnt yesterday that the Federal Government was probing claim that
Jonathan was allegedly on exile in Cote D’Ivoire.
It was gathered that one of the intelligence agencies deployed its
operatives in Cote D’Ivoire to ascertain the truth or otherwise of the
claim.
A source in the agency said: “The Federal Government is concerned about
the report and it is trying to verify it. Our agency has deployed our
officers to find out the situation with the ex-President in Abidjan.
“This may involve relating with sister security agencies in Cote D’Ivoire,
the government of the Francophone country and the Nigerian Embassy in
Abidjan.
“Until we get the actual situation report from our team, we cannot yet
give you the status of Jonathan in the French-speaking nation.”
Nation