Former president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, on Thursday, said some faceless individuals are targeting him for selfish reasons.
Jonathan, in a statement made available to the media, lambasted media reports contained in two newspapers on Thursday, which carried insinuations that some intelligence reports had linked him to activities of the Niger Delta Avengers.
The former president said he would have ignored the claim because it was an obvious fabrication but added that he needed to put the records straight because of the reference to intelligence agencies in the said news stories.
He expressed worries that some persons would be targeting his reputation despite his often expressed passion to work for the good of the society.
Jonathan stated further that he was certain that no intelligence agency based its findings on nebulous claims of some faceless groups, adding that the claim in the newspaper reports followed the pattern of such similar claim made recently by some acclaimed reformed Niger Delta Avengers.
“We obviously would have ignored the allegation, having responded recently to the exact same fabrication peddled by a shady militant group, but for the new dimension of bringing in the authorities, while hiding under the often-abused journalism latitude of quoting nebulous ‘sources.’
“Firstly, we note that there were similarities in the two stories published the same day by the two newspapers, that are too striking to pass the test of the normal newsroom process of diligent reporting and independent investigation.
“We are convinced that such clear coincidences are only permissible in situations where general statements are issued, but not on matters of intelligence/security reports which do not fly into newsrooms as press releases.
“We are also concerned that the stories did not differ in content and substance from the trite allegations earlier made by the so-called Reformed Niger Delta Avengers over the same lies of linking Jonathan to the militants.
“It is sad that the two publications wore the cloak of the deceit from the same misguided characters that are hell-bent on pulling down the former president, despite his clear record of diligent service to his country and long standing commitment to the good of society.
“There is no doubt that there exist such people who may have scores to settle with the former president but are now feeling frustrated by the fact that his national and international profile has continued to rise, despite their recourse to endless muck-raking character assassination. Such people will stop at nothing to continue to throw obstacles, albeit futilely, on his path,” the statement read.
