My illness wasn't caused by birthday jamboree- GEJ

President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday denied speculations in a section of the media that his health broke down in London after engaging in drinking spree during a bash organised to mark his 56th birthday.
He said contrary to the claim, he observed his birthday on Wednesday quietly with better part of the day spent in the air while in transit from Abuja to London while the remaining part was spent in privacy in his hotel room.
The clarification was contained in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati.
Jonathan said the section of the media with the wrong information were not beyond the bounds of legal action for  libel and willful defamation of the character and reputation of a President “who has courageously stepped forward to serve his country.”
The President however thanked all patriotic and well-meaning Nigerians, including his supporters, friends and political associates  who expressed and conveyed their sympathies and solidarity with him, through various means.
He observed that his sudden indisposition came while he was on a mission to attract greater investments to accelerate the growth of the Nigerian economy in keeping with his agenda for national transformation.
He also commended the generality of the mainstream media whose coverage of his slight health challenge in London, he described as mostly factual, objective, fair-minded and supportive.
The statement read, “We however condemn the utterly irresponsible, deplorable, highly unprofessional and unethical antics of certain fringe elements operating in the nebulous sphere of cyberspace who persist in seizing every opportunity to unjustifiably malign and impugn the character and integrity of the elected leader of their country.
“It is very regrettable indeed that after, in compliance with President Jonathan’s standing instruction that Nigerians must never be kept in the dark about the state of his health, the public was duly informed that the President had received precautionary medical attention for an unexpected indisposition in London, Sahara Reporters and some other reckless, lawless, impudent and unpatriotic internet-based media chose to assault the sensibilities of all decent Nigerians again  with their entirely fictional, malicious, hate-driven  and scurrilous distortion of the facts of the President’s  indisposition.
“The suggestion by Sahara Reporters  that President Jonathan took ill following a “heavy birthday party thrown to celebrate the President’s 56th birthday at his Presidential suite in the InterContinental Hotel in London” is fictional nonsense as there was definitely no party in London to celebrate President Jonathan’s birthday on Wednesday night.
“The truth is that President Jonathan observed his 56th birthday anniversary quietly.  For part of the day, he was  airborne, in transit between Abuja and London. On arrival in London, he spent the rest of the day in the privacy of his hotel room.  It has never been his custom to celebrate birthday anniversaries and no exception was made this year. No birthday party was therefore held for the President in London and there was certainly no drinking spree as Sahara Reporters claimed.
“As  unregulated as they are, Sahara Reporters and their ilk are not beyond the bounds of legal action for  libel and willful defamation of the character and reputation of a President who has courageously stepped forward to serve his country.
“They know very well that they can never substantiate or prove the constant false allegations and innuendoes they publish for the sole purpose of negatively portraying President Jonathan and his administration.
“Their incessant claim of a bibulous President is pure fiction and blackmail, and the product of malicious imagination. We warn that our forbearance  of their disrespectful caricaturing of the President is not limitless.”
The President reiterated the trite point that no human being is beyond health challenges irrespective of their station in life.
He said sadly, this commonplace fact appeared to be beyond the understanding of the publishers of the online medium who he said seemed to have lost all sense of propriety, decency and human compassion.
“The President is comforted by the prayers, support and overwhelming goodwill of the people of Nigeria, fully assured that the forces of good will continue to triumph over the forces of darkness in our land,” he concluded.

  Culled from The Punch.