In Defence of General Obasanjo | By: Joe Igbokwe

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo remains one of the luckiest Nigerians that is still transversing the political landscape today, all things considered.

He is one General that has ruled Nigeria for almost twelve years – three years plus as a military head of state and eight years as a civilian president.

General Obasanjo is the first Nigerian to serve as a military head of state and as well as a civilian president. On those two occasions, the man never struggled to be president.

He became president in 1976 when General Muritala Muhammed was assassinated. History again threw him up in 1999 when he left the prison to Aso Rock in circumstances which only God can explain.

If any prophet had predicted by February 17, 1998 that General Obasanjo would be President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Commander-in-Chief of the Arned Forces, that prophet would have been dismissed as one of those drunken fable bearers that litter Nigeria.

If General Obasanjo had been told when he was handing over the instrument of authority that somewhere towards the very end of the millenium, he would be receiving the same instrument from General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who was a Lieutenant Colonel then, he would have dismissed it as the ranting of an ant.

He would have been killed the way General Musa Yar’ Adua was poisoned but Lucky must have been the second name of this retired General. He survived against all odds and has remained an elder statesman since he left office in 2007, intervening in matters of national significance when the need arises.

Obasanjo is well respected by world leaders, including past presidents and serving presidents. He sits among the greatest leaders in the world. He has been very outspoken and the world knows him for it. His words carry a lot of weight and he throws them when the need arises. He is controversial, he is a good fighter and he is fearless.

Today February 16, 2015, this man added another drama to his long history. He tore into shreds his PDP membership card in the full glare of the Nigerian press. Why? The retired General is totally disgusted with President Jonathan and his party, the PDP.

He has been screaming from the mountain top that the PDP and President Jonathan are not getting things right in Nigeria but they will not listen. He has offered useful advice to help strengthen the party but the characters in the party will rather call him names.

He single-handedly brought President Jonathan to where he is today but anytime the man rebukes Jonathan for not taking the right steps, he gets abused. For instance, General Obasanjo kicked and kicked when Kashamu Buruji was appointed the South West leader of PDP. Obasanjo raised an objection to that appointment but the presidency and the PDP did nothing.

This international drug baron, who has remained a wanted person in the United States for many drug offences, has taken pages of newspapers to abuse the former president and yet the presidency rather allows Buruji Kashamu to be the one importing and distributing the President’s rice to impoverished Nigerians.

In Obasanjo’s very eyes, the PDP, working in tandem with the Military, rigged another rascal and political liability called Ayo Fayose as Governor in Ekiti state. All the tainted characters Obasanjo rejected in the South West are now working for President Jonathan.

Former President Obasanjo is still in possession of a document where the president said in 2011 that he will not seek a second term and today Jonathan is seeking a second term.

Obasanjo raised an alarm when the Foreign Reserves he left in 2007 is mercilessly and shamelessly being depleted in the past six years without any tangible thing on ground to show for it.

Obasanjo also raised an alarm that the Presidency has been building attack mercenaries to deal with political enemies and irritants and Nigerians thought he was raising dust for nothing until we saw the State Security Service, SSS, in our own very eyes, becoming a department for repression, oppression and suppression.

Former President Obasanjo did his best to help President Jonathan to succeed but dangerous elements from Niger Delta, especially the arrogant and greedy like Edwin Clark, Asari Dokubo, Tompolo, Boyloaf etc will not allow Jonathan to listen to wise counsel.

Under Jonathan’s watch, these characters abused Northern leaders and called them names such as parasites and lazy fools and yet he did nothing. If President Jonathan is trounced on March 28, 2015, (and it is sure to happen) these characters above created 50 per cent of the problems that led to his defeat.

President Jonathan did not only fight the retired General through proxies and surrogates, he sometimes threw insults on the former president with reckless abandon. In his home base in Rivers state, Jonathan and his wife descended on Governor Rotimi Amaechi simply for doing his work.

A minor disagreement between Governor Amaechi and Mrs Patience Jonathan, which the president could have resolved maturely by rebuking his wife to realize that Amaechi is an elected Governor and his wife not elected. Soon the matter got worse when Amaechi won the chairmanship of the Nigeria’s Governorship Forum.

President Jonathan sponsored Governor David Jang to break the once powerful Forum, and things were never the same again. Soon President Jonathan unleashed AIG Joseph Mbu (then commissioner of police) on Amaechi and the bubbles bust.

A president who should have kept his home base intact played to the gallery and fought Amaechi with all the energies at his disposal and the rest is now history.
In the North, President Jonathan did not build friendship and he did not sympathize with them on the death of their son, the late Umaru Yar’ Adua. If he did, he would have just completed the two years Yar’ Adua left and return power to the North as agreed in the power equation.

If he managed to get additional four years as he did, he would have been satisfied with it than to begin to look for another four years thereby making the south rule for 18 years by 2019 assuming he succeeds.

This is the last straw that broke the camel’s back. To make matters worse, President Jonathan played up ethnic and religious cards to the letter. He showed bias to Muslims by allowing some greedy pastors to deceive him that the whole North hates him because he is a Christian.

He has been visiting Jerusalem and churches without caring to visit mosques. He sees the North as another political enclave and this is the reason why he did not fight Boko Haram with every sense of seriousness it deserved.

He did not believe that the Chibok girls were kidnapped until after 14 days. Now if Jonathan scores 10 per cent votes in the whole North on Saturday March 28, 2015, I would not be surprised.

His ambition to rule Nigeria for 10 years will cause him a big loss in the North. In fact, Jonathan has lost this election in the first ballot and he will be defeated mercilessly.

March 16, 2015, former President Obasanjo has completed history by tearing his membership card as a national leader in PDP. A friend told me that a big anointing has broken the yoke of PDP in Nigeria and things will never be the same again.

The anointing of the Lord has set the captives free. PDP has been torn into shreds. PDP is collapsing. PDP IS FINISHED IN NIGERIA.

The New York Times, one of the greatest and most influential institutions in the world, has described President Jonathan as a lousy president. Christiane Amanpour described Jonathan as a failed head of state.
The Economists magazine described the Jonathan government as a failed regime. General Theophilus Danjuma says Jonathan is rewarding crime and encouraging more people to go into it.
Senator McCain says Jonathan’s government is practically not existing and therefore America should just help Nigeria.
Hilary Clinton says Jonathan is running a government that is supervising the siphoning of Nigeria’s resources. This is the verdict of the world and there is no hope again for President Jonathan and PDP in 2015.

Credit: 247NigeriaNewsUpdates

"We expelled Obasanjo"- Ogun State PDP

Whose report should we really believe? Chief Olusegun Obasanjo voluntarily resigned from the party, PDP claims he was expelled for indulging in anti-party activities. The reports are so conflicting.

Bayo Dayo, the Ogun State chairman of the People Democratic Party has however cleared the air. He told journalists today, “the totality of the executive, leaders and members of PDP family in the Ogun hereby state categorically as from today Monday 16 February, 2015, Obasanjo Aremu Olusegun stands expelled and excommunicated from the party thereby losing all rights previous, privileges and respect of our teeming party members.”

Dayo added that Obasanjo’s ward sent him a letter 4 days ago to express concerns at his “anti-party activities” and “uncomplimentary utterances” targeted at President Goodluck Jonathan.

Photos: Obasanjo tears PDP membership card.

Former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo today February 16, 2015 dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). 
‎OBJ, a founding member of the party declared that he is no more a politician and now prefers to be called an elder statesman. He also added that he doesn’t want to be part of a government who has no regards for the constitution. ‎
He handed his membership card to a PDP Ward 11 leader in Abeokuta North Local Government, Alhaji Sarajudeen Oladunjoye and asked him to tear it.
This happened during a press conference held in his hilltop residence at the Gateway state. He reportedly instructed his aid to pick it up and give it to him. He stated that “If this is why we cannot have Nigeria  we desire, I am no longer part of this”

"Let us all be, you are not God" Femi Fani-Kayode tells Obasanjo.

Director of Media and Publicity of President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign organsiation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode has reacted strongly to ex President Olusegun Obasanjo’s claims that GEJ has plans to scuttle the forthcoming elections for fear that he would be jailed if his opponent succeeds him.
The former Minister of Aviation and Special Assistant on Public Communication told press men at a briefing in Abuja on Sunday that  Obasanjo’s grouse with President Jonathan is personal and can no longer intimidate him.

He should leave Nigeria out of it and let us all be. If he has a personal score to settle with Jonathan he should not do so at the expense of the peace and stability of Nigeria.

“If he wants to stop Jonathan then let him attempt to do so through the democratic process and through the ballot box and not through foul and unconstitutional means.
“We said it before and we will say it again: gone are the days that any President can be tele-guided and controlled because we have all come of age.
“We continue to hold President Obasanjo in high esteem but his recent actions and utterances are beyond the pale. He has been unfair to Jonathan, to Nigeria and even to himself.
“Most importantly, the days of intimidating others with his harsh words and overbearing influence are long over. Obasanjo is not God. Only God is God and He alone determines the fortunes of men and the destiny of nations.”
 

Obasanjo's endorsement of Buhari, a political somersault – Fayose

Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose who has been a vocal member of President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign team has reacted to ex President, Olusegun Obasanjo’s recent endorsement of 
General Muhammadu Buhari.

He has described Obasanjo’s support for the ex- Military man as a political somersault and a suicidal mission. He also implored Nigerians to ignore him because of his penchant for deceiving people for his own political gains.

 “Leaving President Jonathan and vote for Buhari is like to abandon the road and enter the bush. God forbid we enter the forest which we may not come out for years. How can you follow somebody who because of old age is senile, but being propelled by his followers to fly the plane at all cost. Won’t that plane crash?” Fayose added.

"He's smart and educated enough". Former President Obasanjo declares support for Buhari.

If you read his “I am no more OBJ, I am now ABJ (Anybody But Jonathan) comment few weeks back, then this news shouldn’t surprise you. The only part I find awkward is him choosing an international event to spell it out.”
 Former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, at the launch of his book ‘My Watch’ in Nairobi, Kenya on Tuesday publicly expressed support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, a former military ruler and presidential candidate.
The PDP chieftain  affirmed that “the circumstances Buhari will be working under if he wins the election are different from the one he worked under before, where he was both the executive and the legislature – he knows that.”
He continued, “It’s a question of leadership – political and military. He’s smart enough. He’s educated enough. He’s experienced enough. Why shouldn’t I support him?”
And on the recent postponement  of elections in Nigeria, he said “The signs are not auspicious. I don’t know whether a script is being played.”

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo's son shot by Boko Haram

Lt.-Col Adeboye Obasanjo, son of former President Olusegun Obasanjo was yesterday, September 8, 2014 shot by members of Islamic sect, Boko Haram in Adamawa State. The army Engineer was shot in the leg while leading a platoon of the army that took on the insurgents at Baza near Michika.

A highly reliable source disclosed that he is being treated at a military facility and is responding to treatment.

“He was shot by Boko Haram in the battle to reclaim Michika from the insurgents. But there is no cause for alarm as he is responding to treatment,” he said.

HAVE WOLE SOYINKA'S BOOKS BEEN BANNED FROM OLUSEGUN OBASANJO'S PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY??

An oversight or intentional decision? According to a recent investigation made by Entertainment 24/7, books by renowned writer and Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka are absent on the shelves of Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo’s Presidential library, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Whereas books of other famous Nigerian authors/writers like Chimamanda Adichie, Chinua Achebe are conspicuously displayed.
A staff of the library who pleaded anonymity said since the ex President never liked the writer as shown in his write-ups, interviews and many more his books cannot grace the shelf, another staff said, “his books were not stocked hence cannot be displayed by the Library, we do not go out to stock books here with the intention of ignoring any writer/author. It must have been an oversight”. His name is also absent in the library’s hall of fame.

Source: E-24/7 magazine

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