'Comparing President Jonathan With Jesus Christ Is No Blasphemy'- Okupe Maintains

Doyin Okupe Adamantly Maintains His Positions For Comparing Jonathan With Jesus Christ!

Doyin Okupe

The Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Media and Publicity, Doyin Okupe, who was severely criticized for dropping such a phrase, defends his position.

It would be recalled that the presidential aide said:

“People do not understand the burden this president is bearing. He’s like Jesus Christ. He’s bearing the burden of everybody.”

Many Nigerians reacted differently and unanimously, urging the official to withdraw his statement, which they tagged as insulting.

Speaking December 18 on the issue with Punch, Okupe insisted there was nothing wrong with his comparison.

Okupe added that he had been quoted out of context, which resulted in attacks. He also explained why there were electoral issues with the North regarding Jonathan’s ruling.“The whole thing was just blown out of proportion. Comparing Jonathan with Jesus Christ is not blasphemous, because even Christ said we must be like Him and that we should even do greater things than Him. It is there in the Holy Bible, not from me.”

“There is some form of bias against President Goodluck Jonathan. This bias has been sponsored and supported by some existing geo-political disparity and disconnect that preceded his becoming President.

“The North felt that it was not fair to have someone from another part of the country other than a northerner to take over the leadership of the country after the death of Yar’Adua. For that reason, many parts of the North became quite recalcitrant and unforgiving towards Jonathan.

“Their behaviour towards him is not because Jonathan is a bad person or because they feel he would not do well but because they see him as somebody who has taken their turn in power. That was the beginning of Jonathan’s problems.”

It would be noted that earlier this month Borno state deputy governor, Alhaji Zannah Umar Mustapha, described Jonathan’s administration as an “empty vessel” and advised all northerners not to vote for PDP in the forth-coming general elections in 2015.