by Isi Esene

There are speculation that President Goodluck Jonathan may have had a brief stopover at Wiesbaden, Germany, to visit the first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan who is believed to be nursing an undisclosed ailment.

Jonathan who reportedly left Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at about 9.30am, was expected to arrive in New York at 3pm Nigerian time, but did not land until 10pm – seven hours behind flight schedule.

Informed observers say a direct flight from Abuja to New York with a presidential jet takes 11 to 12 hours, which suggests the president should have made touchdown in New York between 3 and 3:30pm

This inconsistency in the flight duration fuelled rumours that the president might have made a detour in Germany.

According to SaharaReporters, a New York based online news medium, Jonathan’s flight arrived in New York about 10pm and the contingent moved to Pierre Hotel, a five-star hotel located at 5th Avenue in Manhattan.

The president and his delegation, according to the report, flew to New York with two presidential jets.

The presidency has been reluctant about disclosing the true nature of the First Lady’s continuous stay in the European country.