“Ex-President Obasanjo Reflects on Eight Years of Misrule “We Still Haven’t gotten There in Nigeria”
“Ex-President Obasanjo Reflects on Eight Years of Misrule “We Still Haven’t gotten There in Nigeria”
Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has stated that the country’s leaders have not yet fulfilled their responsibilities to the country, declaring that “we haven’t gotten there.”Travel guides
Obasanjo who was president for two terms between 1999 and 2007 and desperately sought a third term agenda, spoke on Tuesday at the public presentation of “Being True to Myself”, the autobiography of former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido.
It will be recalled that Obasanjo, a former Head of State who came back as president, had a tumultuous time in government, silencing the opposition, strangling the elections and the electoral commission, and leaving a trail of corruption in major national projects, involving some of his key appointees.
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On Tuesday, Obasanjo said that despite decades of leadership, Nigeria is still far from its intended destination.Travel guides
The event, which held at the NAF Conference Centre in Abuja, drew a gathering of political heavyweights and loyalists.
We haven’t gotten there,” Obasanjo said bluntly. “Nigeria that we are working for, we haven’t gotten there. And I believe it is the responsibility of each of us to ensure that we get there.”
Months ago, the Bola Tinubu-led presidency launched a scathing attack on Obasanjo, branding him the “grandfather of hypocrisy” for his criticism of Tinubu’s jaundiced policies.
The Tinubu’s presidency had accused Obasanjo of attempting to rewrite history and whitewash his own controversial democratic record while condemning Tinubu’s actions.
“It is shocking to many who were adults during the Obasanjo 1999-2007 era to hear OBJ preaching that ‘democracy is not about power grabbing illegally and telling victims to go to court. This is the same OBJ that turned himself into a kingmaker and a demigod in his second term in office,” the statement had read.
“This is the same OBJ who worked with his then VP, Atiku Abubakar, to steal opposition states for PDP thanks to their job man, Prof. Maurice Iwu, who was INEC Chairman,” the statement said.
The presidency also accused Obasanjo of rigging elections, orchestrating the impeachment of opposition governors, and attempting to extend his tenure through a failed third-term bid.
“OBJ unilaterally declared the seat of his then Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, vacant over his corruption indictment by a panel of inquiry,” it continued. “Atiku, who has now become a serial presidential candidate, slept in the courts towards the 2007 general election season.”
“In May 2004, Obasanjo declared a state of emergency in Plateau State and suspended both Gov. Joshua Dariye and the state assembly, appointing Gen. Chris Ali (Rtd) as Sole Administrator,” the statement noted.
“He also did the same in Ekiti State. His reason for suspending Dariye and the Plateau legislature was because the governor failed to end a cycle of violence. He didn’t accuse the assembly of anything, yet he suspended them.”
