The Presidency has responded to comments made by former Nigerian leader, Olusegun Obasanjo
Obasanjo in a New Year message endorsed the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi and claimed that Nigeria moved from frying pan to fire under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
READ ALSO: 2023: Nigeria’s former President Obasanjo endorses Peter Obi
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in a message said former President Obasanjo was always attacking President Buhari because he was envious of the current President’s achievements adding that he keeps doing so out of frustration.
He said: “Former President Obasanjo is so well known to all that no one needs to describe who he is. But, four things we will like to say:
“One is that he will not stop attacking President Muhammadu Buhari because the former President won’t stop being jealous of anyone who beats him to a new record in the nation’s development process.
“President Buhari is ahead of Chief Obasanjo in all fields of national development and to do that is cardinal sin to Obasanjo whose hallucinations tell him that he is the best ever to lead Nigeria and there will never be another one better than him.
“President Buhari just completed the world-class edifice that is the Second Niger Bridge after three decades of failed promises. It is now awaiting commissioning.
“Obasanjo laid the sod for the bridge in his first term as elected President and work never started.
“When he sought re-election for his second term in office, he returned to the site to turn the sod for the bridge the second time. When the Obi of Onitsha, forthright and scholarly, reminded him that he had done this in the past, Obasanjo told the foremost Southeast traditional ruler that he was a liar, in the full presence of the Chiefs and Oracles in his palace.
“Obasanjo lied to the Southeast to get their votes. President Buhari didn’t get their votes but built the bridge because he believed it is the right thing to do.
“Two, President Buhari had been bagging awards and encomiums for trying to do that which the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria says a leader should do: serve one, or a maximum of two terms and go.
“President Buhari has been stating and restating that he will supervise a better election than the one that brought him to office and to leave as and when due.
“Having tried tenure elongation and failed, Obasanjo’s fictitious mind must be telling him that he is the one under attack.
“But he is not on President Buhari’s radar because experience has shown, especially lately in West Africa where there have been at least three successful coups and many other failed attempts, that third term or tenure elongation is a recipe for political instability.”
The Presidential Spokesman added that President Buhari’s achievements have gone beyond Nigeria, while Obasanjo left behind many questions begging for answers.
“Furthermore, the totality of African leaders appointed President Buhari the Anti-Corruption Champion of the continent.
“You can’t be an anti-corruption champion if “you meddled and bent the rules,” carrying the putrid responsibility of what happened to national assets in the name of privatization as documented by the Nigerian Senate in 2011.
“As an insight, the Aluminum Smelter Company of Nigeria, ALSCON, which was set up with $3.2 billion, was sold to a Russian firm, Russal, for a paltry $130million. Delta Steel, which was set up in 2005, at a cost of $1.5billion, was sold to Global Infrastructure for just $30million.
“ALSCON got back $120million for the dredging of the Imo River, which was never carried out.
“Three, which is linked to the one above is the growing profile of President Buhari as the Champion of Democracy not only at home and in the West African subregion but the African continent as whole.
“As President, Obasanjo destabilized internal democracy by orchestrating impeachment after impeachment of Governors who were not compliant with his highly imperial administration.
“As we said sometime back, Mr. Obasanjo’s tenure, 1999-2007, represented the dark days of Nigeria’s democracy due to a slew of assaults on the constitution.
“The former president deployed federal machinery to remove Governors Joshua Dariye, Rashidi Ladoja, Peter Obi, Chris Ngige and Ayo Fayose from office. They were the then Governors of Plateau, Oyo, Anambra, Anambra and Ekiti, respectively, unjustly removed using the police and secret service under his control.
“Under him, a five-man legislature met at 6:00 am and “impeached” Governor Dariye in Plateau; 18 members out of 32 removed Governor Ladoja of Oyo from office; in Anambra, APGA’s Governor Obi was equally impeached at 5:00 a.m. by members who did not meet the two-thirds required by the constitution.
“Under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), lawmaking powers of the Rivers State legislature were transferred to the federal parliament to punish Governor Amaechi for shifting his political alliance.
“Moreover, Obasanjo damned the Supreme Court and unlawfully held back Lagos State revenues due from federal sources on account of his pettiness against Governor Bola Tinubu.
“On the other hand, in Washington a few weeks ago, the US President Joe Biden at a meeting with African Heads of States and Government described President Buhari as a champion of democracy and role model for the leaders of African states.
“Clearly, Obasanjo has become even more jealous by adopting a vengeful attitude.
“Four, to say that “frying pan to fire” is the situation in Nigeria at this time should be read to mean a personal experience to him and we know what that means.
“Hell” for Obasanjo is when a President, any President that comes after him refuses to be his own puppet, to do as he wishes on all matters and at all times.
“He then keeps attacking out of frustration.
“Obasanjo’s vengeful attitude towards President Buhari is the height of selfishness and little short of moral squalor,” he concluded.
Obasanjo’s Letter To Nigerians
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo had on Sunday, January 1, 2023 written a letter to Nigerians urging youths to exercise their right, take active part in the 2023 elections and defend their votes.
Obasanjo made this known in a new year message titled, “My appeal to all Nigerians particularly Young Nigerians.”
The former president stated that Peter Obi who is his mentee had an edge over other candidates in the 2023 elections.
Obasanjo said, “None of the contestants is a saint but when one compares their character, antecedent, their understanding, knowledge, discipline, and vitality that they can bring to bear and the great efforts required to stay focused on the job, particularly looking at where the country is today and with the experience on the job that I personally had, Peter Obi as a mentee has an edge.
“Others like all of us have what they can collectively contribute to the new dispensation to liberation, restoration, and salvaging of Nigeria.
“One other important point to make about Peter is that he is a needle with thread attached to it from North and South and he may not get lost.”
Full Text Of The Letter: Open-letter-by-OBJ-in-preparation-for-the-2023-Elections.January-2023_compressed
Reactions
Reno Omokri, a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan reacting to the former president’s endorsement of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi as his choice candidate for president, Omokri on Sunday night, took to his Twitter page to express his opinion on the matter.
President Obasanjo is a good hearted man. He has always wanted a President from the SE or close to the SE as a way to heal the Civil War wounds. In 2007, he wanted Peter Odili, but Yar’adua insisted on Governor Jonathan as VP. What Obj did won’t affect the election!#TableShaker
— Reno Omokri (@renoomokri) January 1, 2023
READ ALSO: Obasanjo’s Endorsement of Peter Obi a personal decision – PDP
Meanwhile, the Spokesperson of the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Organisation of the People’s Democratic Party, Kola Ologbondiyan in a statement said the support for Labour Party’s Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, by former President Olusegun Obasanjo is his wish which does not reflect the opinion or position of Nigerians across the country.
READ ALSO: APC discredits Obasanjo’s endorsement of Peter Obi
Also responding to Obasanjo’s letter, the Director, Media and Publicity, APC Presidential Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga, said Tinubu, would not lose sleep over the endorsement of his Labour Party counterpart by the former president.
PIAK
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