A Niger Delta rights group Niger Delta Initiative for Peace and Development Association (NDPDA) has threatened to take legal action against two journalists  its accused of witch-hunting Dame Patience Jonathan, wife of the former President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan 

Patience Jonathan

The group in a statement by its President Comrade Inigbelabia Kaizer, NDPDA alleged that they have monitored the reporters over time and had established that the two reporters who work for prominent national papers (names withheld) were hired hands who were contracted to write stories concerning the Economic and Financial Crimes  Commission (EFCC), against Mrs Jonathan.

The group further claimed that all their stories were targeted at painting the former first Lady in bad light.

The statement said: “We are deeply concerned that the newspapers have willfully positioned themselves through these paid agents to run an endless campaign of calumny against the person of the former First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan and her husband, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

Week after week, the mediums have continued to churn out and rehash same unsubstantiated tales bordering on alleged corruption; apparently in a desperate effort to do the bidding of those who are obviously all out to tarnish the image of Mrs. Jonathan.

“Despite the enormous security, economic and social challenges that had befallen this nation since Mr. Jonathan and wife left office almost three years ago, these reporters appear to have done nothing else, outside focusing on fabricated stories against the former First Lady and her husband.”

The group further alleged that the stories were also targeted at embarrassing Mrs Jonathan’s husband, former President Jonathan, each time he returned from an international engagement.

 It said: “One established trend these papers have perfected without fail is to always rehash old and contrived negative stories bordering on corruption, as a means of neutralizing whatever goodwill the former President would harvest from his numerous high level international engagements. For instance, Jonathan has just returned from Malaysia where he delivered a well received keynote address at a World Peace Summit.  We are convinced that this last story by these newspapers was just tailored to douse the positive outcome of that outing.”

“One thing we however know is that these hired characters are not God. No matter what they do, they cannot alter the will of God in the lives of this blessed couple.

Even then, we cannot fold our hands and allow the witch-hunt facilitated by these two compromised journalists to continue. We are warning them to desist from this their evil and unprofessional path forthwith, or be prepared to face the legal consequences of their actions.”