Jonathan and other family members move personal effects from Aso Rock

President Goodluck Jonathan and his family members have started
moving their personal belongings out of the Presidential
Villa, Abuja, few days after the President lost his re-election
bid, Saturday PUNCH can authoritatively report.
Our correspondent sighted some buses loaded with travel
bags moving out of the President’s official residence at
about midday on Friday.
One of the buses, a white 18-seater Hiace bus marked PF
6244 AL, was still being loaded with bags of different shades
and sizes at the time of filing this report.
It was not clear at press time where the buses were heading
for.
A source said the early removal of the personal effects of
the first family might have been necessitated by the need
for the renovation of the residence ahead of the May 29
handover date.
For renovation work to commence on time, the President
may have to be operating from outside the residence in the
days ahead.
Saturday PUNCH also learnt that the Presidency had
commenced a discreet investigation into how a recording of
the telephone call by the President to Maj. Gen.
Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) on March 31, congratulating him
on his victory at the last Saturday’s presidential election was
leaked.
The recording which revealed details of what transpired
between the two leaders went viral on the Internet on
Thursday.
The audio of the conversation credited to one ENDS.ng
@EveryNigerian was titled, “Historic congratulatory call
from President Goodluck Jonathan to President-elect
Muhammadu Buhari on March 31, 2015.”
A government official, who pleaded anonymity, told our
correspondent on Friday that the Presidency was
embarrassed by the leaked recording.
While saying that a thorough investigation is underway, the
security source said the first step was to ascertain whether
the recording was leaked from the Presidency or was made
public from the President-elect’s camp.
He said it was only if it was discovered that the recording
was leaked from the Presidency that further investigation
would be conducted to ascertain those behind it in order to
mete out appropriate punishment.
He, however, refused to talk on how long the investigation
will take.
“Definitely, unauthorised release of a raw recording of the
President’s telephone conversation, if from our
(Presidency’s) end is a security breach that cannot go
without being investigated,” he said.
The President also promised on Friday to break his silence
on his experience in office and other sundry issues at the
appropriate time.
He, however, did not give any indication on when the
appropriate time will be.
Jonathan made the promise when State House
correspondents approached him for interview at the end of
the Good Friday Service organised by the Aso Villa Chapel.
“Don’t worry; I will talk to you at the appropriate time,” the
President said amid smile as he made his way from the
chapel to his official residence.
He was accompanied to the three-hour service that featured
the Seven Words of Christ on the Cross by Governor Seriake
Dickson of Bayelsa State, and the Executive Secretary,
Nigerian Christians Pilgrims Commission, Mr. John Kennedy-
Okpara.
The seven short exhortations that accompanied the seven
lessons all centred on the sacrifice the preachers said
Jonathan made to keep the county united.
They likened Jonathan’s decision to concede defeat in the
last Saturday’s presidential election and congratulate the
President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) of the All
Progressives Congress to the sacrifice Jesus Christ made to
save mankind.
All the preachers agreed that the bold step taken by the
President at the appropriate time was commendable.
They urged him to remain focused because his future is in
the hands of God.
“This man (Jonathan) said here that he is the most criticised
President and he prophesied that by the time he will be
leaving, he will be the most celebrated President. That has
come to pass with the way he is being celebrated worldwide
for conceding defeat,” one of the clergymen who led
intercessory prayers said.
The service also featured renditions of special hymns as well
as intercessory prayers for the President, for peace and for
the country at large.
Apart from Dickson and Kennedy-Okpara, the Chairman,
Federal Civil Service Commission, Mrs. Joan Ayo; Managing
Director, News Agency of Nigeria, Mr. Ima Niboro; and the
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Ambassador
Godknows Igali, also attended the service.
Wife of the President, Patience; and his mother, Eunice, were
however absent. Both of them have hitherto been
accompanying Jonathan to such service.
The poorly-attended service saw only the first three rows of
both sides of the chapel occupied by worshippers.
Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, on Thursday
evening admitted that the Peoples Democratic Party had
not been able to properly manage its successes.
He said in the last 16 years of being in charge of the country,
the party made what he described as “very very costly
mistakes.”
Lamido made this position known to State House
correspondents after a closed-door meeting with President
Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The governor, whose state is one of the states where
Jonathan lost the March 28 presidential election, however
did not give details of the mistakes he claimed the party
made.
He said, “I am sure if you know the party’s history, what it
went through in the last 16 years, it has the capacity to
bounce back.
“And more with the elections with pains and the anger, PDP
made some mistakes.
“I have been saying so, the party made very very costly
mistakes and we have not been able to properly manage our
successes. But to me, I don’t think quitting PDP is the
answer.”
Reacting to the result of the election that produced Buhari
as the President-elect, the governor said whoever becomes
the President is a Nigerian President and not a President for
a particular region. On the belief that PDP governors who
lost their states to opposition did not work hard enough,
Lamido warned against going into blame game.
“We won’t go into blame game. In what way will this blame
change the attitude of the crowd? Leadership is a very huge
burden and is normal for followership to stick in other to
look at things from their own perspective,” he said.
Lamido said Nigerians had spoken in very loud and
unmistaken ways and so their choice and rights should be
respected.
He commended Buhari for his hard-earned victory, while
adding that the victory belongs to the nation.
“We praise Buhari for being able to take the ticket from the
PDP even though I am not happy, but it’s Nigeria that won,
not Buhari.
“None of them lost but Nigeria won and enough of the
anxiety, enough of the worry and the fear in Africa,” he
added.
While admitting that there is a tendency of the bandwagon
effect of the presidential and National Assembly elections
rubbing off on the April 11 governorship election, the
governor said it was up to PDP leaders to work.
Buhari defeated Jonathan in the March 28 presidential
election believed to be the keenest in the political history of
Nigeria.
Though pockets of violence were recorded in some polling
units in the country, the presidential election was adjudged
to be credible.
President Jonathan had congratulated Buhari on his victory
in the poll. He was also said to have asked the Peoples
Democratic Party not to challenge the outcome of the poll
at the election petition tribunal.
Two days before the conduct of the election, Jonathan and
Buhari were made to renew their peace accord they signed
on February 14 which committed them to credible and
violence-free election.
The renewing of the peace accord was initiated by the Gen.
Abdulsalami Abubakar-led National Peace Committee on
2015 Elections.
President Jonathan had, however, met with some members
of the House of Representatives elected on the PDP
platform.
It was learnt that the meeting was part of the efforts aimed
at resolving the post-primaries crisis in the party.
It was further learnt that the meeting was also meant to
avert the impeachment moves against the President by
some aggrieved lawmakers.
The meeting which was held inside the new Banquet Hall of
the Presidential Villa, Abuja was also attended by the
National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Adamu Muazu; and the
National Deputy Chairman, Uche Secondus.
The lawmakers were led to the meeting by the Deputy
Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha; and the Majority Leader, Mulikat
Adeola-Akande.
Apart from Ihedioha who was driven to the venue in his
official car, others were driven to and from the venue in two
Coaster buses.
None of them spoke with journalists after the meeting.
The President later met with security chiefs in continuation
of efforts to tackle insecurity currently being witnessed in
parts of the country.

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