***Accuses ex-President of lying to South-East to get second term votes
***Says Obasanjo laid foundation of Second Niger Bridge twice without completion
***Insists Buhari never get S’East votes but built bridge on grounds of right thing to do.
***Lists Obasanjo’s illegal impeachments of Govs, paltry sale of national assets
The Presidency has blasted former President Olusegun Obasanjo over his letter of endorsement of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi, saying that Obasanjo is frustrated and envious of President Muhammadu Buhari’s achievements.
The Presidency spoke on Monday through the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu , while reacting to the controversial letter of Obi’s endorsement by Obasanjo.
The former President had stirred the hornets’ nest when he endorsed Obi ahead of the two leading presidential candidates of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and that of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu and proceeded to attack the administration of Buhari.
Hitting Buhari with unsparring words of abysmal failure, Obasanjo said, “The last seven and a half years have no doubt been eventful and stressful years for many Nigerians. We have moved from frying pan to fire and from mountain top to the valley.
“Our leaders have done their best, but their best had turned out to be not the best for Nigeria and Nigerians at home and abroad. For most Nigerians, it was hell on earth.
“Those of us who are alive should thank God for His mercies, brace ourselves for the remaining few months of this administration and pray and work very hard for an immediate better future – future of liberation, restoration and great hope and expectation”.
Faulting the above words by Obasajo, the Presidency criticized Obasanjo over his stance on Buhari government, saying that the ex-President is so well known to all that no one needs to describe who he is.
The presidency further went on to list the achievements of Buhari and accused Obasanjo of lying to the South-East to get second term votes, saying that Obasanjo laid the foundation of the Second Niger Bridge twice without completing it during his tenure.
It also accused Obasanjo of illegal removal of elected governors during his tenure and paltry sale of national assets under the guise of privatisation.
The statement reads in part, “But, four things we will like to say: “One is that he will not stop attacking 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.
“Buhari is ahead of 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.
“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 South-East to get their votes. 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 1999 Constitution (as amended) says a leader should do: serve one, or a maximum of two terms and go.
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 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.
“Furthermore, the totality of African leaders appointed 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 $3.2billion, 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 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, 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 State Governors: Joshua Dariye (Plateau); Rashidi Ladoja (Oyo); Peter Obi (Anambra); Chris Ngige (Anambra) and Ayo Fayose (Ekiti) from office. They were unjustly removed using the police and secret service under his control.
“Under him, a five-man legislature met at 6am and “impeached” Governor Dariye in Plateau; 18 members of Oyo Assembly out of 32 removed Governor Ladoja of Oyo from office; in Anambra, APGA’s Governor Obi was equally impeached at 5am by members who did not meet the two-thirds required by the constitution.
“Under the 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 former Governor Bola Tinubu.
“On the other hand, in Washington a few weeks ago, the United States 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.”
