Nigeria’s president tackles news media over Wikileaks

 does Jonathan  not know what he’s doing?

  Nigeria’s president tackles news media over Wikileaks

 By Nigerians Abroad staff writer

The office of the Nigerian president earlier today issued a strong statement against one of the country’s major daily newspapers – Next 234 – over what it called “campaign of calumny” against the country’s president and candidate of the ruling party in upcoming general election, Goodluck Jonathan.
President Jonathan spokesperson, Ima Niboro in a press statement, accused the news media organization of attempts aimed at damaging the President integrity.
“It has become evident that Next Newspaper and its publishers are deliberately waging a malicious campaign of falsehood and calumny aimed at impugning the integrity of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan,” Niboro Said.
Last week, Next 234 published series of supposedly leaked US diplomatic cables, which the media organization claimed was exclusively made available to them by Wikileaks.
One of the publication titled ‘Jonathan voted four times in 2007′ was believed to have angered the President and his inner circle.
A supposedly confidential document with ID number:184936 Cable, dated:2008-12-29 T06:09:00 referenced the current governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, whom in a chat with an unidentified American diplomat, described how he won the court verdict that declared him as the legitimate governor elect by providing evidence of fraud against his predecessor Oserheimen Osunbor of the ruling party – Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Examples of the electioneering fraud according to Oshiomhole includes ballot papers that revealed that President Jonathan -vice president at the time – had voted four times.
Jonathan – a former governor of Bayelsa State – is not from Edo state neither does he resides in the state. As a result, it couldn’t have been possible for the president to have voted in the state.
Governor Oshiomhole proof that President Jonathan had voted four times, is believed to have based on identifying examples of gross manipulations of voters list and ballot papers by some INEC officials to benefit certain politicians.
In some cases, past elections and voters registration exercises conducted by INEC have been marred by multiple names registration.
Since the return to democracy in 1999, Nigeria’s electoral body, INEC, has consistently struggle with upholding its integrity and independence in conducting free and fair election.
Although, the body now being chaired by a former university lecturer, Attahiru Jega has promised to ensure that the country’s next general election due in April is free of political manipulation, many Nigerians still remain doubtful.
The president demands an unreserved apology from Next 234 and threatens possible legal actions to seek redress for the president and the presidency, Jonathan spokesperson said