Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says President Muhammadu Buhari’s
re-election will bring a “suffering much worse” than what Nigerians go go
through.
He also denied reports that he would stay neutral ahead of the 2019
elections, saying “only a fool will sit on the fence”.
The former president said this while reacting to a report that he has
withdrawn support for Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In a statement issued Sunday on his behalf, Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo’s
spokesman, said the former president had only urged Nigerians to vote for
credible candidate in the 2019 presidential poll.
The statement read: “While Chief Olusegun Obasanjo is in Cairo to attend
the maiden edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF), of which he is
Chairman of the Advisory Council, his attention has been drawn to a report
by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) with the headline “Atiku: Obasanjo
Shifts Political Gear to Neutral.”
“It is disingenuous, if not malicious, for anyone to suggest that Chief
Obasanjo was being neutral when he chose not to use the Owu Convention as
a platform for political campaign but instead adopt a communal and
familial approach in talking to members of his Owu family.
“For the records, and as accurately reported by some media organisations,
what the former president said at the convention in Iwo was that while he
would not impress any candidates on them, Nigerians should vote for
credible candidates who will drive growth and development and make their
lives better than it is now.
“Only a fool will sit on the fence or be neutral when his or her country
is being destroyed with incompetence, corruption, lack of focus,
insecurity, nepotism, brazen impunity and denial of the obvious. Chief
Obasanjo is no such fool nor is he so unwise.”
He said Nigerians must get involved in voting process and that “they must
know that beneficial change will not come if they remain inactive just
complaining and complacent and they allow themselves to be deceived by
sycophants and enemies of Nigeria.”
“If they do not become active and get much needed change of the current
administration to a government that will improve the economy, regain the
confidence of investors and generally drive growth, development and
economic progress with security, what is coming will be much worse than
what Nigerians currently suffer,” the statement added.