The former Aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan and Chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo state, Comrade Jude Imagwe has attacked the former Presidential Spokesman and Arise TV anchor, Dr. Reuben Abati over his comments that leaders of the PDP were condoning the alleged excesses of Gov. Nyosom Wike of Rivers State.
According to Imagwe, Reuben Abati’s comments against Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike were unfortunate, unprofessional, and bitter.
He said, Every profession is guided by principles and code of conduct, and I am confident that the Media profession is not exceptional.
Abati, a seasoned journalist, is expected to have developed a culture of absorption and temper control over certain comments attributed to him or his program, but he failed in his response to Governor Wike and acted as if he were still performing his duties as presidential spokesman.
There have been several occasions when Reuben Abati’s anchoring of an event has sparked controversy among viewers, such as his media chat with Gen Buhari in Aso Rock Villa, but he has never responded to any of the comments.
I’m hoping that Abati will realize that there was a relationship yesterday and that today’s visitors should not make him forget about it.
It is this bitterness that has manifested because he failed to have realised that decency should be his watch word, particularly when he is on live television. The privilege to anchor a television programme cannot be a licence to malign a person of the governor’s status.
In his zest to impress some paid agents, Abati merely discredited journalism ethics which prohibits him, in any manner, to ridicule, cast aspersions on, or degrade any person by reason of his political conviction, not even the office of a state governor.
Abati should be reminded that Governor Wike was Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State between 1999 and 2007. During this period, he served as Deputy President, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, in 2004 and was later elected the President of ALGON.
He was also an African representative in the Commonwealth Local Governments Forum.
In 2007, he was appointed the Chief of Staff to Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi between 2007 and 2011.
And on July 14, 2011, he was appointed Minister of State for Education, and later as Supervising Minister of Education. By this time, Abati was the spokesperson of President Goodluck Jonathan.