EXTRA: I never experienced evil spirits Abati claims are in Aso Villa, says Femi Adesina

Femi Adesina, presidential spokesperson, says his experience in the presidential villa was devoid of “wild claims” made about the residence by Reuben Abati, a media aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan.

In a 2016 article titled ‘The spiritual side of Aso Rock’, Abati said the state house “should be converted into a museum and abandoned,”  claiming that the residence houses “a force higher than what we can imagine”.

The former presidential aide said a cleric revealed that Aso Rock was “full of evil spirits”.

Abati said he suffered injuries and could not breathe properly for six months and “never slept in the apartment they gave me in that villa for an hour”.

Reacting to the claims, Adesina said he slept in the house assigned to him in the presidential villa for eight years and he never had any issues.

In an article titled ‘The good in goodbye’, Adesina said he never suffered any mysterious illness, adding that no weirdness was experienced in the residence.

He added that Abati’s alleged ordeal “really has nothing to do with Aso Villa”.

“My predecessor in office (read, ancestor) Dr Reuben Abati, had alleged that Aso Villa is haunted, and should be turned to a museum. Abandoned. True? I didn’t see any of his rather wild claims, not in eight years,” the presidential spokesperson wrote.

“To the glory of God, I never experienced anything like this. Human beings normally face one vicissitude or the other, it is part of life. But God equally spares His own. No ailment to nurse, other than things typical of aspiring senior citizens like me. And nothing died under the waist.

“Well, I slept in my house in the Villa for eight years. And I snored, even so loudly to wake myself up. So, it’s really different strokes for different folks. And it really has nothing to do with Aso Villa. Yes, sound sleep is another good in goodbye.”