{"id":75759,"date":"2020-09-14T02:46:48","date_gmt":"2020-09-14T01:46:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=75759"},"modified":"2020-09-14T02:46:48","modified_gmt":"2020-09-14T01:46:48","slug":"presidency-blasts-obasanjo-over-comment-calls-him-divider-in-chief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/presidency-blasts-obasanjo-over-comment-calls-him-divider-in-chief\/","title":{"rendered":"Presidency Blasts Obasanjo Over Comment, Calls Him \u201cDivider-In-Chief"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
The presidency sent a blistering attack on Nigeria\u2019s former president,<\/div>\n
Olusegun Obasanjo, over his recent statement that Nigeria, under
\nPresident Mohammadu Buhari, is becoming a failed and divided country.<\/p>\n

In a statement by Presidential Spokesman Garba Shehu, the presidency
\ndescribed former President Obasanjo as a \u201cDivider-in-Chief\u201d, who is
\ndividing the nation while Buhari is striving to build a united country.<\/p>\n

Shehu\u2019s statement reads:<\/p>\n

\u201cIn his most recent statement, former President Olusegun Obasanjo
\nattempts to divide the nation while President Muhammadu Buhari continues
\nto promote nation-building and the unity of Nigeria.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe difference is clear. From the lofty heights of Commander-in-Chief,
\nGeneral Obasanjo has descended to the lowly level of Divider-in-Chief
\n(to adapt the coinage of Time).<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore responding further to the unfair attacks on President Buhari and
\nhis administration by the former President, it is important that we
\ncategorically state that contrary to the assertions by a few analysts,
\nthe recent speech in which President Buhari advised West African
\nPresidents against tenure elongation beyond constitutional limits has
\nbeen consistent with his long held views on the need to adhere to the
\nrule of law.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though he tried it and failed, the recent uptick in the number of
\nsuch leaders proposing to do, or actually carrying on in office beyond
\nterm limits is sufficient to cause concern among democrats in the
\nsub-region given its prospects of destabilizing the states and the
\nregion.<\/p>\n

\u201cPresident Buhari\u2019s advocacy is consistent with his principles and in
\nline with the current policies of his administration and indeed that of
\nthe ECOWAS Charter which is that term limits must be respected and that
\nthe change of government is only permissible through the ballot box.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving cleared this misperception, we hope that Chief Obasanjo would
\nonce again sheath the sword and rest the pretentiousness about the
\nMessiah that has (mis)led him to pronounce often wrongly, as he
\ndisastrously did in the 2019 elections, about the life and death of
\nNigerian governments.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs some commentators are already suggesting, Chief Obasanjo should, in
\naccordance with his mantra as a statesman, get involved with problems
\nsolving, when and where they exist instead of helping the mushrooming of
\na poisonous atmosphere of ethnic and religious nationalism.<\/p>\n

\u201cSurely, he must have disappointed many of his local and foreign
\nadmirers by showering commendations on a few extremist groups who have
\nvowed to shun the invitation to the National Assembly to participate in
\nthe process of a constitutional amendment.<\/p>\n

No doubt, he must have left those admirers confused in announcing the
\nsupport for the boycott of a democratic process of changing the
\nconstitution, at the same time calling for dialogue and engagement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that the process he ushered in under his administration with
\nthe dubious intention of amendments that sought tenure elongation
\nfailed-as did two other attempts by the successor administrations of the
\nsame political party- does not in any way justify his dismissal of the
\nexercise by the 9th Assembly as another waste of time and resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo the credit of the All Progressives Congress-led 8th Assembly, the
\nprocess of the constitutional amendment was kickstarted and carried
\nthrough, paving the way for, among other benefits, the financial
\nindependence of local government councils, States Houses of Assembly and
\nthe country\u2019s Judiciary. These changes have already been signed into
\nlaws by the President as mandated by the constitution.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe recent decisions by the administration as they relate to subsidy
\nwithdrawal, helping to plug some of the most horrendous notorious holes
\nand release of scarce resources for the more pressing needs of the
\npeople has also not escaped the ire of the former president.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a known fact that the withdrawal of subsidies had been on the wish
\nlist of the Obasanjo-led Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. They failed in
\nachieving these measures because there was shared greed. They plundered
\nthe treasury as much as anyone could in the name of either subsidy or
\nwaiver with reckless impunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo is to say it takes courage and rare statesmanship on the part of a
\nleader to do as President Buhari to shun populism and seek the best
\ninterest of the people and the state, providing the kind of reform and
\ndevelopment that Nigeria urgently needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis President has run an administration focused on infrastructure and
\ndevelopment. He has repaired our damaged relations with neighbours and
\nour traditional allies such as the UK, US, China, Russia, France,
\nGermany, Saudi Arabia and the others with lots of benefits to the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a pro-business administration that has used diplomacy to unlock
\nbilateral trade and investment.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe leads a government that has liberalized the investment climate and
\nmarket access by achieving reforms that have placed the country in the
\nlist of the world\u2019s top reforming economies.<\/p>\n

\u201cNigeria, which other nations had mocked and ridiculed for so many
\nthings that were wrong is today progressing at a pace reflecting its
\nsize and potential.
\n\u201cWith so much to show and many more coming, it is little surprise that
\nPresident Buhari would be the object of envy and harsh unfair challenges
\nby politicians who failed to deliver, but continue to nurse ambitions of
\ndelighting the audience long after their curtain has been drawn.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The presidency sent a blistering attack on Nigeria\u2019s former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, over his recent statement that Nigeria, under President Mohammadu Buhari, is becoming a failed and divided country. 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