After his botched third term ambition, former President Olusegun Obasanjo<\/p>\n
has been attempting to use the President Goodluck Jonathan’s
\nadministration to actualize his dream of remaining in power.<\/p>\n
Spokesman of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign organization, Chief Fani
\nKayode at a Press conference said the former President has made several
\nattempts to tele guide, control, take over the running of the Jonathan’s
\nadministration through the back door.<\/p>\n
Chief Fani Kayode said all those attempts made by Obasanjo were roundly
\nrebuffed, reason why the former President has turned turned against the
\nJonathan’s administration.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Why Obasanjo is attacking Jonathan
\nHe said: \u201cAfter Jonathan came to power, Obasanjo not only tried to control
\nand teleguide him, but he also asked him to do a number of things that
\nwere simply wrong and unacceptable. It is for President Goodluck Jonathan
\nhimself to divulge those things and I am sure that he will do so at the
\nappropriate time.<\/p>\n
\u201cNeedless to say President Jonathan refused to be teleguided and told what
\nto do though at all times he showed Obasanjo maximum respect and accorded
\nhim all the privileges, access and courtesies that are due to a former
\nHead of State and a father and mentor. This continued to be the case even
\nafter Obasanjo consistently attempted to undermine his government and
\nridicule his efforts.<\/p>\n
\u201cYet President Obasanjo could not be appeased and was not satisfied. As
\nfar as he was concerned, he must either control Jonathan or Jonathan had
\nto go. That is why he decided to secretly support the APC and became their
\n\u2018navigator in chief\u2019. He was determined to pull the whole house down
\nrather than allow Jonathan to return to power. This is simply because he
\nbelieves that if he cannot control someone, that person must be destroyed.
\nControl and domination is an obsession for Obasanjo. That is the bottom
\nline. He is prepared to put even the devil in power provided he can
\ncontrol him,\u201d Fani-Kayode, who also served President Obasanjo as a senior
\nspecial assistant (public communication) and later Aviation Minister said.
\nGenuine democracy<\/p>\n
\u201cObasanjo does not want genuine democracy. He only pretends to want it.
\nWhat he wants is control and a stooge in power. It does not matter what
\ntype of government it is as long as he controls it and it is headed by his
\npuppet. It can be a military government, a civilian one, a democratic one,
\nan interim government or a government of National Unity. To Obasanjo, it
\ndoes not matter as long as he can control it. That is his objective. That
\nis why he hates Jonathan so much and that is why he wishes to stop him at
\nall cost.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bottom line is this: President Obasanjo\u2019s grouse with President
\nJonathan is personal and it has nothing to do with Nigeria. He should
\nleave Nigeria out of it and let us all be. If he has a personal score to
\nsettle with Jonathan, he should not do so at the expense of the peace and
\nstability of Nigeria.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he wants to stop Jonathan, then let him attempt to do so through the
\ndemocratic process and through the ballot box and not through foul and
\nunconstitutional means. We said it before and we will say it again: Gone
\nare the days that any president can be teleguided and controlled because
\nwe have all come of age.<\/p>\n
\u201cPresident Olusegun Obasanjo\u2019s allegations are serious and grave. They are
\nalso reckless. He has raised issues and made assertions that are capable
\nof derailing our democracy and creating chaos in the land. It is vital
\nthat we consider his motives for this latest outburst and his credentials
\nas a leader and an elder statesman.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe truth is that he knows that President Goodluck Jonathan will win next
\nmonth\u2019s presidential election and that is why he wants to destroy the
\ncredibility of the whole process right from the outset.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat he is trying to say in his latest contribution is that if President
\nJonathan wins, then the election must have been rigged right from the
\noutset. This is not only wrong but it is also unfair and uncharitable. If
\nPresident Obasanjo has any evidence to prove his weighty allegations, he
\nought to present it before the Council of State and take it up there.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe should also report to INEC itself and present the data of whatever
\nsinister plan he believes that President Jonathan has to stay in power \u2018by
\nhook or by crook\u2019 to them. He should tell INEC whatever it is that
\nJonathan is doing in order for him to stay in power by all means and he
\nshould give them all the details. That should be the starting point.\u201d
\nPostponement of polls<\/p>\n
Asserting that the postponement of the election was not a sufficient
\nreason for Obasanjo to lampoon Jonathan given that polls have been
\npostponed in the past, the president\u2019s campaign image maker faulted the
\ncomparison between Jonathan and former Ivorian president, Laurent Gbagbo.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cPresident Obasanjo spoke about President Laurent Gbagbo and he
\nclaimed that President Jonathan was attempting to do a Gbagbo in Nigeria.
\nThe question that must be put to him is this: \u201cWho got Gbagbo out?\u201d Was it
\nnot Jonathan\u2019s government that played a key role in ensuring that
\ndemocracy was fully established in the Ivory Coast and did he not play a
\nkey role in ensuring that the Gbagbo \u2018stay in power forever plan\u2019 did not
\nwork? If anyone doubts this, they should ask President Alhassan Outtara of
\nCote D\u2019Ivoire the role that Jonathan and Nigeria played in helping to
\nrestore democracy and stability back to his country.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey should also find out the role that former President Obasanjo played
\nin attempting to keep President Laurent Gbagbo in power at all costs and
\nthe deep friendship that exists between the two men. It is a matter of
\nfact and public record that when he was President of Nigeria, Obasanjo,
\nperhaps more than any other African Head of State with the exception of
\nPresident Jacob Zuma of South Africa, propped up and supported President
\nGbagbo and it is an irony of fate and history that he is now condemning
\nthe actions of his old friend and accusing others of trying to emulate
\nhim.<\/p>\n
\u201cAgain it is ironic that President Obasanjo has accused President Jonathan
\nof having a grand plan to stay in power at all cost and by all means yet
\nit is the same Obasanjo that tried to stay in power for a third term even
\nthough the Nigerian constitution specifically forbade it. He tried all he
\ncould to change the constitution but the whole thing failed and he was
\ncompelled to leave power.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe continue to hold Obasanjo in high esteem but his recent actions and
\nutterances are beyond the pale. He has been unfair to Jonathan, to Nigeria
\nand even to himself. Most importantly the days of intimidating others with
\nhis harsh words and overbearing influence are long over. Obasanjo is not
\nGod. Only God is God and He alone determines the fortunes of men and the
\ndestiny of nations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Will of the people<\/p>\n
Fani-Kayode continued: \u201cWe sincerely hope that Obasanjo appreciates the
\ngravity of what he is attempting to do and we shall continue to pray that
\nGod will guide him and deliver him from whatever it is that makes him want
\nto destroy all those that love him the most. Whether he likes it or not,
\ndemocracy has come to stay in Nigeria and the will of the Nigerian people
\nwill be done in next month\u2019s presidential elections and thereafter. We
\nbelieve that it is God\u2019s plan and not even one million Obasanjos can stop
\nit.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After his botched third term ambition, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has been attempting to use the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration to actualize his dream of remaining in power. Spokesman of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36011,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n