Okupe, Gulak are court jesters –Nyako

Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State has described the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, and the President’s Adviser on Political Matters, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, as “court jesters.”

The President aides’ comments, Nyako noted, had not added “any positive values to national issues.”

Nyako’s remark came as Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State also described Okupe as the President “worst enemy.”

The Adamawa governor spoke through his Director of Press, Mr. Ahmad Sajo, in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, on Sunday.

Describing Okupe and Gulak as court jesters, Nyako said the Presidency was using them as attack dogs, “whose comments usually do not add any positive value to the issues at stake.”

He said, “We are tired of reacting to people like Doyin Okupe and Ahmed Gulak. These people are court jesters; they do not add value; the Presidency is only using them as attack dogs.

“I think even those in the media should not promote such men. Can you give me any one statement that these people have made that can promote the country or that can motivate the people in the past few months?

“You do not just open your mouth to disparage people; there is no time they say things that would inspire people, the only language they know is disparaging people. If what they are saying is amusing Mr. President, so be it.”

Amaechi, who said Okupe was the President worst enemy, called for his immediate sacking.

According to Amaechi, the earlier Okupe’s sacking takes place, the better for the Jonathan-led administration.

The governor was reacting to Okupe’s statement in a radio programme that Amaechi used the police to harass and intimidate people unjustly.

In a statement on Sunday through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. David Iyofor, the governor also dismissed Okupe’s claim that he was seeking the redeployment of the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Joseph Mbu, because the CP refused to do his bidding.

The statement read, “In the past few weeks, we elected to ignore scurrilous statements from Okupe as we do not wish to wittingly or unwittingly, avail him with a sparring partner as he strives, though fecklessly yet again, to elevate his act from an attack puppy to an attack dog.

“Moreover, like most Nigerians, we believe that Okupe is irrelevant in the political equation that no serious-minded person should take seriously.

“It has become pertinent to notify the populace and Mr. President that the likes of Okupe represent the very worst of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration.

“With an aide and adviser like Okupe, President Jonathan certainly does not need any enemy. Indeed, Okupe is more than a handful. Pray, what kind of advice would an aide/adviser like Okupe give to Mr. President? The earlier Mr. President purged the Presidency of characters like Okupe, the better for us all.

“Okupe sank to a new low when he falsely and indecorously claimed that Governor Amaechi used the police to harass, intimidate and punish people unjustly and could not provide one instance or any evidence to back up his claims.

“He bragged about some phantom text messages from ‘ordinary people’ whose families have suffered grave injustice in the hands of Amaechi and, yet again, did not tell us the content and senders of the text messages.”

He noted that with such comments from a presidential aide, Nigerians had a better insight into why “Mbu was still in the state and continued to act with impunity despite the calls by some Nigerians and the National Assembly that he should go.”

He added, “What interest does Mbu serve for Okupe and his co-travellers that they are bent on keeping Mbu in Rivers State? Let us remind Okupe and his co-travellers that it took a lot of efforts, resources and the strong political will and determination of  Amaechi to restore peace, security and order to Rivers State from the dark days of pre- October 2007.

“To destroy all that in the name of playing politics portends grave danger for our polity and will do no one, more especially, the Presidency any good. No responsible government plays politics with the lives of its people.”