The Reuben Abati’s narratives may not be correct
OpenLife Nigeria can reports that there are brewing crises of facts between Iconic journalist, Dr. Reuben Abati and proponent of Biafra Republic, Maxi Nnamdi Kanu
The basis of disagreement centres on the authenticity of the “The real Buhari” campaign.
In some quarters, lots of folks believe the narrative that Buhari, who was elected President of Nigeria in 2015, has died and what people see in the Villa is Jubril from Sudan, a cloned Buhari.
In many other quarters, President Buhari is alive and kicking.
The rumour of President Buhari’s death actually surfaced when on January 21, 2017, a blogger who goes by the name, MRrational Laughter, and whose blog claimed to be the ‘No. 1 Port Harcourt City Blog, published that,
“Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has died in a London Hospital where he was receiving medical care, the Nigerian Mission in UK has confirmed.
“According to the information released by the Nigerian Embassy, Buhari left the West African country for a vacation in the U.K in order to undergo medical checks. The office of the President is yet to issue an official statement on the president’s demise…”
Again, on January 29, the blog republished the article under the headline “ Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari Is Dead Confirmed By CNN-ALIVE.”
However, the surprise about the article was that with all the international protocols surrounding presidents, the Nigerian president could die in a hospital in London, and it was only one lonely Port Harcourt blogger who got confirmation of the said death and none of the international media knew about this confirmation or information.
Similarly, on January 30, 2017, the same ‘MRRational Laugher’ published a post that Queen Elizabeth sent a message of condolence to Nigerians under the headline.
The blogger wrote: “The Queen of Britain, Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has sent message of condolence to the family of Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari and the people of Nigeria.”
Subsequently, when the authenticity of the rumour was being doubted, Maxi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Independent People of Biafra, IPOB clarified thus on November 10, 2017 thus:
“Did the Queen send a condolence message to the Buhari family and Nigerians or not? Her Royal Britannic Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II sent a message of condolence to the family of Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari and the people of Nigeria.
“Why did Queen Elizabeth write a condolence letter if Buhari wasn’t dead? In a message of condolence, the Queen described Buhari as “one of Africa’s pillars.
“The death of President Buhari came to us as a shock. He has been one of the active pillars in Africa. May the good people of Nigeria and Africa know that our hearts are with them in these hard times.”
However, President Muhammadu Buhari who had spent five months in Britain in 2017 to receive medical treatment denied the rumor floating around the internet that he had died and been replaced by a Sudanese doppelganger, his spokesman said.
“It’s real me, I assure you,” Buhari told members of the Nigerian diaspora in Poland, where he attended UN climate talks. “I will soon celebrate my 76th birthday and I will still go strong.”
This was the position until recently when Arise TV team led by the founder Prince Nduka Obaigbena interviewed President Buhari.
Arising from that interview, Reuben Abati debunked Kanu’s claims, which has been spread by his IPOB group, that President Muhammadu Buhari is a Jubril from Sudan.
Abati, who had worked in the Villa as former President Good Luck Jonathan’s spokesman, wrote in his ThisDay Newspaper column that the Buhari he interviewed is the real Buhari, “Healthy, very cognitive, and was truly himself.”
Incidentally, this revelation hit Kanu on the wrong side.
He queried Abati’s submission and has dared him to proof the veracity of his claims.
He took to his Twitter handle and wrote thus:
“Dear @abati1990, could you kindly tell the world, from the collection below, which version of the late @MBuhari you interviewed?
“ The man you interviewed, did he speak #Fulfude? Did you ask him about the hole in his neck or his Kpomo ear?
“Eyes are useless when the mind is blind”
Further, Kanu clarified: “As part of our ‘The Real @MBuhari is Dead’ enlightenment series, let me ask the likes of @abati1990 to take cognisance of this image because this is the proper face of the old Buhari looking his real age before his death in January of 2017.
“Compare this photo…..”
The attempts by OpenLife to reach Abati on Sunday were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
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