Abati Outburst against Wike Provocative, Insulting, Says Niger Delta Group

A group, the Niger Delta Youth Leadership Forum (NDYLF), on Tuesday slammed the former presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, over his outburst against leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for purportedly condoning the alleged excesses of Rivers State Governor, Nyosom Wike. According to the group, Abati's outburst is a clear attempt to malign and denigrate Governor Wike and the PDP leaders with the description that they are “hungry men who allowed Wike to take over the party.” The President of the NDYLF, Richard Akinaka, said the position of Abati is a hatchet job and a clear indication that it is a case of vendetta against Wike, "and also his unholy political alliance with those who may have commissioned him to use his platform to disparage the character of supposed political enemies. "Reuben has so far, in his conduct, not just on Wike, but on other previous altercation with guests on his programme, demonstrated his partisanship, hence, he is not fit to be on such platforms anymore. His attitude so far is a demonstration that he has failed to remove the sweetness of the lollipop (in his own words) attached to his former office as presidential spokesman (where he performed woefully) and would want to return to such office to correct his previous failures. "Wike’s records as a successful career lawyer and politician is an open book for even the blind to read and the deaf to hear, having rose to a member of the benchers from LGA chairman to COS of the Government House to minister, and to one of the best governors in the history of Nigeria and above all, a presidential aspirant who was an embodiment of the aspiration of the entire South as evident in the widespread support he enjoys which is a clear frustration to Reuben’s interest. "But, unfortunately for Abati, there is no record if advancement of progress in his decorated media career of about three decades as he has just been an employee to his younger colleagues. Reuben is employed as a television anchor, a mere news reader and columnist by a junior colleague, as since all these decades in his profession, he has failed to set up his own structure, where he should be an umpire to feed the Nigerian populace with a balanced and unbiased analysis on issues.” The group added: "A successful Abati in his career at this point should have been an employer of labour in his field to mentor other younger ones, or maybe, he, like the people he promotes, wants to perpetuate himself and deprive younger ones from growing. Reuben Abati as a presidential spokesman was not a match to the opposition led by Lai Mohammed who deflated and incapacitated him to the extent that Nigerians never knew Goodluck Jonathan’s presidency was perhaps the best. "Reuben’s activities in recent times could be perceived as though he did not work for his former boss, Jonathan, from the South in 2015 because some of us are just coming to terms with how he was unable to inform Nigerians on the good things of the Goodluck’s presidency, maybe it was part of his failure. In politics, his only achievement was an attempt to be a factional deputy governorship candidate of the PDP in Ogun State which he also failed." "If Arise Television wants Nigerians to take it seriously and value its services, they must urgently purge the station of blackmailers and public relations contractors. To some of us, unlike the Abatis, what Wike did for the PDP was an act of excellent leadership to keep our democracy competitive."