The wife of the President, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, has not been seen
in public since President Goodluck Jonathan lost the March 28
presidential election to Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) of the All
Progressives Congress.
The President had last Tuesday conceded defeat and called Buhari on
the telephone when it became clear from the results released by the
Independent National Electoral Commission that he had lost his
re-election bid.
Some dignitaries including serving and former government officials had visited Jonathan to
commend him for conceding defeat and solidarise with him on his loss.
One of the visitors had told PUNCH that Mrs. Jonathan also received
visitors inside the President’s official residence same day.
“After meeting the President in the new
Banquet Hall located within the premised of his office, I also visited
the First Lady inside the President’s residence before leaving. She was
in high spirit when I met her,” the former government official said.
But since then, the President’s wife had not been seen in public.
She did not attend the Good Friday service held inside the Aso Villa
Chapel with her husband neither did she attend the Easter Sunday
service inside the same chapel. Mrs. Jonathan and the President’s
mother, Eunice, had always been accompanying Jonathan to such services.
The last time she was seen in public was penultimate Saturday when
she and her husband voted at their polling unit in Otuoke, Bayelsa
State.
While many believed however that she must have been too devastated
by her husband’s electoral loss to appear in public so soon, Punch says
their investigation however showed that Mrs. Jonathan might have
travelled out of the country.
A Presidency source who pleaded anonymitysaid that Mrs. Jonathan
travelled to the United Kingdom during the week to sort out some
domestic issues.
“She is in UK. She may use the opportunity of the trip to visit her children,” the source said.
President’s wife would come back to the country.
Mrs. Jonathan’s spokesman, Mr. Ayo Adewuyi, did not pick the calls
made to his mobile telephone line on Monday. Adewuyi did not also reply a
text message sent to him on the mater.
It will be recalled that Mrs. Jonathan had during one of the
presidential rallies she organised ahead of the elections claimed that
Buhari would send her to jail if he was elected.
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