It was an evening of excitement, back slapping and exchange of banters as former Nigeria’s First Lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan, exchanged warm pleasantries with the current First Lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari, at a fund raising dinner at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Aso Rock, Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
There have been various unconfirmed reports of a frosty relationship between the former First Lady and her successor with some online platforms insinuating that both ladies had not been seeing eye to eye for some time now.
However, this unconfirmed report was debunked in the evening of Monday when Mrs Aisha Buhari hosted wives of African Presidents to a fund raising dinner at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The First Ladies were in Abuja for the 9th General Assembly of the African First Ladies Peace Mission (AFLPM).
At the General Assembly which was declared open by President Muhammadu Buhari, the First Lady was elected as the President of the Assembly for a two-year term.
However, among the very important dignitaries that were invited to the dinner, apart from the visiting First Ladies, was the former First Lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan, who Mrs Buhari was said to have personally invited to the dinner ostensibly to debunk the report that the two of them were at loggerheads.
African First Ladies at the dinner with Mrs Osinbajo behind
Mrs Jonathan was said to have arrived at the dinner, which started around 7:30 p.m., a little after 8:00 a.m. and was ushered into the banquet hall of the event by security operatives. On arrival, she was embraced by the current First Lady and they also had a chit chat, to the admiration of the guests who also clapped at the gesture of the two women.
After receiving the former First Lady, Mrs. Buhari held her hand and led her to exchange pleasantries with the wives of other African presidents. About two of the First Ladies were her counterparts when her husband was in power.
Among the wives of the presidents who were her counterparts and who attended the dinner was the wife of the President of Congo Brazzaville, Mrs Antoinette Sassou Nguesso, whose husband, President Dennis Sassou Nguesso, had been in power in the country since 1997. He earlier served a previous term as president from 1979 to 1992.
Mrs Jonathan beside Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo and Mrs Buhari in the middle with other African First Ladies
In fact, the excited Mrs Aisha Buhari posted the photograph of her and Mrs Patience Jonathan exchanging banters, among other pictures at the event, on her verified Facebook wall which she entitled: “African First Ladies Peace Mission Fund Raising Dinner in Abuja.”
There is no doubt that the photograph of the two ladies in a relaxed mood and having fun will put to rest various insinuations that the two of them are having a frosty relationship.
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