The Presidency has again declared that the 8-year tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo represented the “dark days” of Nigeria’s democracy due to a slew of assaults on the constitution.
Reacting to Mr Obasanjo’s latest letter, in which he criticised President Buhari’s leadership style, the Presidency wondered whether the former President had “moral justification” to question President Buhari’s performance.
It recalled how the former President deployed federal machinery to “unjustly” remove from office Governors Joshua Dariye of Plateau State, Rashidi Ladoja of Oyo State, Peter Obi and Chris Ngige of Anambra State, as well as Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State, using the police and secret service under his control.
“As President, Obasanjo destabilised internal democracy by orchestrating impeachment after impeachment of Governors, who were not compliant with his highly imperial administration,” it recounted.
“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 5:00AM by members who did not meet the two-thirds required by the constitution.
“Lawmaking powers of the Rivers State legislature were transferred to the federal parliament to punish Governor Amaechi for shifting his political alliance.”
Signed by the Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, the statement recalled that Mr Obasanjo also “damned” the Supreme Court and “unlawfully held back” Lagos State revenues due from federal sources on account of his “pettiness” against Governor Bola Tinubu.
The Presidency stressed that Mr Obasanjo’s “unabated criticism” of President Buhari is clearly carved out of jealousy, making him to rather adopt a vengeful attitude, which is linked to 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 a whole.
“In Washington a few weeks ago, the US President, Joe Biden, at a meeting with African Heads of State and Government, described President Buhari as a champion of democracy and role model for the leaders of African States,” the statement said.
It emphasised that Mr Obasanjo’s “vengeful attitude” towards President Buhari is the “height of selfishness” and little short of “moral squalor”.
“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.
“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, according to the statement, is ahead of Chief Obasanjo in all fields of national development, noting that such feat represents a “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”.
The statement recalled that President Buhari just completed the soon-to-be-commissioned 2nd Niger Bridge after 3 decades of “failed promises” by his predecessors.
“Obasanjo laid the sod for the bridge in his first term as elected President and work never started,” it said.
“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.”
President Buhari has been bagging awards and encomiums for trying to do that which the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria says a leader should do about term limit, the statement continued.
It made reference to President Buhari’s repeated statements 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,” it said.
“But he is not on President Buhari’s radar because experience has shown, especially lately in West Africa where there have been at least 3 successful coups and many other failed attempts, that third term or tenure elongation is a recipe for political instability,” The statement stressed.
Africa’s anti-corruption champion
The Presidency also recalled how the “totality of African leaders” appointed President Buhari as the Anti-Corruption Champion of the continent.
It then questioned “the sincerity” of whoever claims to be an anti-corruption champion, and then turns round to “meddle and bend” the rules.
It said Mr Obasanjo was “carrying the putrid responsibility” of what happened to national assets in the name of privatisation 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,” the Presidential statement reeled out.
“ALSCON got back $120million for the dredging of the Imo River, which was never carried out,” it added.
