Theatre Medicine: Abati And Okupe Issue Different Statements For Same Presidency On Same Issue

Doyin Okupe

By SaharaReporters, New York

In an apparent move to impress President Goodluck Jonathan and also outsmart one another for Jonathan’s favour, presidential spokesmen Reuben Abati and Doyin Okupe were today falling over each other to unleash press statements on the same bait dangled before the presidency yesterday by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The mega-party yesterday offered Jonathan an “invitation” to its ranks if he wanted to avoid the chaos in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and none of the two desperate aides, reflecting a state of panic in managing President Jonathan’s poor image, checked with the other about the definition of team.
Okupe wrote that in extending its invitation to the President, the National Chairman of the APC made reference to what it called crisis rocking the PDP, “forgetting that the real test of leadership is not in running away from crisis but in resolving them firmly and fairly.
“The very nature of democratic politics envisages conflict of ideas, interests and aspirations which must be aggregated for the overall good of the public and which all true leaders must be mentally and emotionally prepared to tackle,” the former medical doctor declared.
To that end, he said Mr. Jonathan has “continued to pursue the Transformation Agenda with zeal, focus and unequalled determination despite the enormous security challenges” which he blamed on “elements in the opposition political party who had hoped that the ship of the Nigerian Nation would not stay afloat under the first President ever produced from a minority ethnic group.”
Ignoring—or perhaps completely unaware of Okupe’s statement—Abati sent out his own, describing the APC invitation as “an acknowledgment of Jonathan’s sterling leadership qualities”.
He accused the merging parties of “forming a party only to realise they don’t have a candidate,” and that Jonathan is comfortable where he is.
Commenting on the matter this evening, a political observer said he was sure the APC could not believe it had lured the presidency out so early and easily.
“It is difficult to believe that these people do not realize they were being baited, and fell for the simplest trick in politics.  Not only does Mr. Jonathan have two of his aides demonstrating a divided house, he has them dancing Azonto when Apala music is being played.  But remember, one of these men studied theatre arts, the other one, Medicine.  So perhaps we are seeing the emergence of a new field of entertainment we can call “Theatre Medicine.”
A newspaper columnist who reflected on the same issue, defended Abati for coming out with a second statement: “Remember that Jonathan recently gave Okupe a glittering new car.  Abati does not want the next bag of goodies to go to someone else.”