President Goodluck Jonathan is under a fresh attack . This time, it is a stinker from a former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. The Balogun of Owu, Abeokuta, did not make an impromptu speech at a public forum, he took his time to pen what he felt to be Jonathan’s failings.In an 18-page letter to the President, Obasanjo accused him, among other things, of not honouring his words and taking actions calculated at destroying Nigeria.The letter dated December 2, 2013 and titled, “Before it is too late” became public knowledge on Wednesday. Only on Monday, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, said Jonathan was paying lip service to the anti-corruption campaign in the country.
In
the letter, Obasanjo accused the President of pursuing “ selfish
personal and political interests based on advise from his “self-centred
aides.”
He
also alleged that the President had failed to deliver on his promises
to Nigerians and to curb insurgency and corruption in the country.
“Nigeria is bleeding and the hemorrhage must be stopped,” an obviously angry Obasanjo lamented.
He went ahead to declare that “Jonathan had betrayed God and Nigerians,” who voted him into power.
Obasanjo
further alleged that Jonathan had not only placed more than 1, 000
Nigerians on a political watchlist, he had succeeded in destroying
the ruling Peoples Democratic Party and polarised Nigeria along
regional and religious lines.
He also said the President was involved in anti-party activities.
• PDP crises and Jonathan’s personal agenda
He said the President was using the PDP National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur, to cause the lingering crises in the party.
Obasanjo
said, “Let me start with the leadership of the ruling party. Many of us
were puzzled over what was going on in the party. Most party members
blamed the national chairman. I understand
that some in the Presidency tried to create the impression that some of
us were to blame.
“The
situation became clear only when the national chairman spoke out that
he never did anything or acted in any way without the approval or
concurrence of the party leader (Jonathan) and that where the party
leader disapproved, he made correction or amendment, that we realised
most actions were those of the chairman but the motivation and direction
were those of the leader.
“It
would be unfair to continue to level full blames on the
chairman for all that goes wrong with the party. The chairman is
playing the tune dictated by the paymaster (Jonathan). But the paymaster
is acting for a definitive purpose for which deceit and deception seem
to be the major ingredients.”
Obasanjo
stated that Jonathan’s failure to keep his promise not to seek a
second term had also worsened the crises in the PDP.
“Up
till two months ago, Mr. President, you told me that you have not told
anybody that you would contest in 2015. I quickly pointed out to you
that
the signs and the measures on the ground do not tally with your
statement. You said the same to one other person who shared his
observation with me. And only a fool would believe that statement you
made to me judging by what is going on. I must say it is not ingenious.
You may wish to pursue a more credible and more honourable path.”
He
added that before the 2011 general elections, the President told
some governors and the PDP stakeholders, including himself, that
he would not seek reelection.
He
specifically mentioned Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam, as
having told him that Jonathan accepted not to run for Presidency in
2015.
The
former head of state said, “ He (Suswam) told me that you had
accepted a one-term Presidency to allow for ease of getting support
across the board in the North. I decided to cross-check with
you. You did not hesitate to confirm to me that you are a strong
believer in a one-term of six years for the President and that by
the time you
have used the unexpired time of your predecessor and the four
years of your first term, you would have almost used up to six
years and you would not need any more term or time.”
According
to the former Nigerian leader, Jonathan’s failure to keep the
promise had made him appear like a man without honour.
Obasanjo told the President that it would be “fatally morally flawed” for
him to contest in 2015.
He
wrote, “As a leader, two things you must cherish and hold dear among
others are trust and honour both of which are important ingredients of
character. I will want to see anyone in the office of the Presidency as a
man or woman who can be trusted, a person of honour in his words and
character.”
The
former President accused Jonathan of supporting the candidates of
opposition parties in governorship elections in Lagos, Ondo, Edo and
Anambra states and causing disagreements
between party members.
He
said, “Maybe you also need to know that many party members feel
disappointed in the double game you were alleged to play in support of
party governorship candidates in some states where you surreptitiously
supported non-PDP candidates against PDP candidates in exchange for
promise or act of those non-PDP governors supporting you for your
election in the past or for the one that you are yet to formally
declare.”
He
claimed that a former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu “was
nocturnally brought to Abuja to strike a deal for support “ for
Jonathan’s personal election at the expense of the PDP and its
governorship candidate.
“If
you as leader of the party cannot be seen to be loyal to the PDP in
support of the candidates of the party and the interests of such party
candidates have to be sacrificed on the altar of your personal and
political interest, then good luck to the party and I will also say as I
have had occasions to say in the past, good luck to Goodluck,” he said
in the letter.
• Insecurity/Boko Haram
Noting
that the President had not been able to tackle the remote causes of
insurgency in the country, Obasanjo again advised him to adopt “a
carrot and stick approach” to stem the problem.
He
stated that “conventional military actions based on standard phases of
military operations alone will not permanently and effectively deal
with the issue of Boko Haram.”
• Factionalism/clannishness
Obasanjo
also took on Jonathan for being clannish and wondered why he had not
quietened some Ijaw leaders who publicly attack those opposed to his
leadership style.
The
former President said, “For you to allow yourself to be ‘possessed’,
so to say, to the exclusion of most of the rest of Nigerians as an
‘Ijaw man’ is a mistake that should never have been allowed to happen.
“Yes,
you have to be born in one part of Nigeria to be Nigerian if not
naturalised but the Nigerian President must be above ethnic
factionalism. And those who prop you up as of, and for ‘Ijaw nation’ are
not your friends genuinely, not friends of Nigeria nor friends of the
‘Ijaw nation’ they tout about.
“To
allow or tacitly encourage people of ‘Ijaw nation’ to throw insults on
other Nigerians from other parts of the country and threaten
fire and brimstone to protect your interest as an Ijaw man is myopic
and your not openly quieting them is even more unfortunate.”
• Political watchlist
Obasanjo
also alleged that the President had not only placed more than 1,
000 Nigerians on a political watch list, he had encouraged the
“training of snipers and other armed personnel secretly and
clandestinely.”
He
added that weapons were being purchased them for political
purposes and training given to them where Abacha trained his killers.
The former President wondered why the Presidency was providing assistance for “a murderer” to evade justice.
He
said, “Presidential assistance for a murderer to evade justice and
presidential delegation to welcome him home can only be in bad taste
generally
but particularly to the family of his victim.
“Assisting
criminals to evade justice cannot be part of the job of the presidency.
Or, as it is viewed in some quarters, is he being recruited to do for
you what he had done for Abacha in the past? Hopefully, he should have
learned his lesson. Let us continue to watch.”
Obasanjo
did not give the name of the but he was apparently referring to
the former Chief Security Officer to Abacha, Hamza
Al-Mustapha.
• Corruption
Obasanjo
called on Jonathan to take at least, “one effective corrective action
against high corruption which seems to stink all around you in your
government.”
He mentioned the recent allegation that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation failed to remit billions of
dollars in proceeds of crude oil sales to the federation account.
“This allegation will not fly away by non-action, cover-up, denial or bribing possible investigators,” he told the President.
He added, “Please deal with this allegation transparently and let the truth be known.
“The dramatis personae in
this allegation and who they are working for will one day be public knowledge.
“Those who know are watching if the National Assembly will not be accomplice in the heinous crime and naked grand corruption.
“As
head of government, the buck of the performance and
non-performance stops on your table and let nobody tell you
anything to the contrary. Corruption has
reached the level of impunity. It is also necessary to be
mindful that corruption and injustice are fertile breeding grounds
for terrorism and political instability.”
He
also told Jonathan to do the right things because God and Nigerians
would hold him responsible for “whatever happens and fails to happen in
the country.”
“I
have had opportunity, in recent times to interact closely with you and I
have come to the conclusion
painfully or happily that if you can shun yourself to a great extent of
personal and political interests and dwell more on the national
interest and also draw the line between advice from selfish and
self-centered aides and advice from those who in the interest of the
nation may not tell you what you will want to hear,” Obasanjo said.
The
former President told Jonathan that nothing, at this stage of his
life, would prevent him from standing up for whatever he considered to
be in the best interest of Nigeria, Africa and the world.
He added that he was ready for whatever reaction the letter would provoke from the Presidency.
He
said, “Knowing what happens around you, most of which you know of and
condone or deny, this letter will provoke a cacophony from hired and
unhired attackers but I will maintain my serenity because by this
letter, I have done my duty to you as I have always done, to your
government, to the PDP, and to our country, Nigeria.
“I
have passed the stage of being flattered,
intimidated, threatened, frightened, induced or bought… Death is the
end of all human beings and may it come when God wills it to come.
“The
harassment of my relations and friends and innuendos that are coming
from the government security apparatus on whether they belong to New PDP or
supporters of defected governors and which are possibly authorised or
are the work of overzealous aides and those reading your lips
to act in your interest will be counter-productive.
“It
is abuse of security apparatus. Such abuse took place last in the
time of Abacha. Lies and untruths about me emanating from the
Presidency is too absurd to contemplate. Saying that I recommended a
wanted criminal by United Kingdom and United States authorities to you
or your aides to supplant legitimately elected PDP leader in the
South-West is not only unwise and crude but also disingenuous.
It is a clear indication of how unscrupulous and unethical the
Presidency can go to pursue your personal and political interest.
The
former Nigerian leader urged the President
to share the contents of his letter with former Heads of State,
Generals Abdulsalami Abubakar and Gen. Ibrahim Babangida as well as a
former Vice-President Alex Ekwueme and ex-Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen.
Theophilus Danjuma.
He
told Jonathan that he should do so because Abubakar and Babangida
had shared the concerns he raised in the letter with him (Obasanjo).
Obasanjo
said, “I crave your indulgence to share the contents of this letter, in
the first instance, with Generals Babangida and
Abubakar, who, on a number of occasions in recent times, have shared
with me their agonising thoughts, concerns and expressions on most of
the issues I have raised in this letter concerning the situation and
future of our country. I also crave your indulgence to share the
contents with Gen. Danjuma and Ekwueme, whose concerns for and
commitments to the good of Nigeria have been known to be strong.”
Initial
fear that the letter did not emanate from Obasanjo was doused by his
Chief of Staff, Deacon Victor Durodola, who confirmed its authenticity
to one of our correspondents.
Durodola said the elder statesman decided to write Jonathan despite their perceived close rapport.
“The
reasons are already stated in the letter, including where Baba
(Obasanjo) said the last letter he wrote was not even acknowledged; so,
the reasons are there, about 10 of them. So, he wrote the letter.”
He
also confirmed that Obasanjo left South- Africa on Tuesday after the
memorial service for the former South African President, Nelson Mandela.
But the Presidency described the allegations by Obasanjo as “most reckless, baseless, unjustifiable and indecorous.”
The
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben
Abati, who confirmed receipt of the letter by the Presidency, added
that it was “highly unbecoming, mischievous and provocative” that it
(letter) was deliberately leaked to the mass media in an effort to
impugn the integrity of the President.
The
presidential spokesman said in a statement that Jonathan, at the
appropriate time, would offer a full personal response to the
allegations.
The
statement reads, “We have noted the publication on several websites
today (Wesnesday) of a letter recently written by Chief Obasanjo to
President Jonathan.
“The Presidency acknowledges that it has indeed received the said letter from Chief Obasanjo.
“We
however find it highly unbecoming, mischievous and provocative that a
letter written by a former Head of State and respected elder statesman
to President Jonathan has been deliberately leaked to the mass media in
a deplorable effort to impugn the integrity of the President and
denigrate his commitment to giving Nigeria the best possible leadership.
“While
many patriotic, objective and well-meaning Nigerians have
already condemned the leaked letter as self-serving, hypocritical,
malicious, indecent, and very disrespectful of the highest office in the
land, President Jonathan has directed that none of his aides or any
government official should join issues with Chief Obasanjo over it.
“The
President himself will, at the appropriate time, offer a full personal
response to the most reckless, baseless, unjustifiable and indecorous
charges levied against him and his administration by the former Head of
State.”
The PDP, in a statement by
Tukur also called on Obasanjo to tread with caution. It said the letter was a direct assault on the person of Jonathan.
It
added, “ For such a statement against the person of the national
chairman of the PDP, to come from Chief Obasanjo, a former head of
state and President is most unfortunate.
“For
him to insinuate that the President is using the national chairman to
cause multiple problems for the party doesn’t in any way portray him as a
true democrat.
“Obasanjo’s letter is certainly an attack on the personal integrity and credibility of Tukur.”
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