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Tag: Olusegun Obasanjo

2023: Tinubu’s Camp Reacts to Obasanjo’s Endorsement of Obi
The Presidential Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has described as worthless the endorsement of Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party Presidential Candidate by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in his New Year message on Sunday.
In a statement by the campaign spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, the APC said Obasanjo lacks both the the electoral value to install a candidate and the credibility and democratic credentials to pontificate about Nigeria’s political future.
The statement read in part:
“We make bold to say that our party and candidate, Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not lose sleep over Obasanjo’s move, as Obasanjo is notorious for always opposing progressive political forces, as he did against MKO Abiola in 1993.
“The endorsement is actually worthless because the former President does not possess any political goodwill or leverage anywhere in Nigeria to make anyone win a Councillorship election let alone win a Presidential election. He is a political paperweight.
“He is also not a democrat anyone should be proud to be associated with.
“We recall that in 2003 and 2007 general elections when he was a sitting President, Obasanjo used all the coercive instruments of State at his disposal to railroad people into elective offices against the will of Nigerians as expressed at the polls. In 2007, he declared the polls a do or die affair after he failed in his bid to amend our constitution to have a third term.
“From our records, President Obasanjo has not successfully made anyone win election in Nigeria since then.
“Not even in Ogun State can anyone rely on his support or endorsement to become a governor or Councillor.
“We pity Peter Gregory Obi as we are confident that Chief Obasanjo can not win his polling unit and ward in Abeokuta for Obi in the coming Presidential election on 25 February, 2023.
“Chief Obasanjo’s endorsement is not a political currency Mr. Peter Obi can spend anywhere in Nigeria because he is not a political force, even in his part of the country.
“Chief Obasanjo similarly endorsed Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Peoples Democratic Party candidate in 2019 against President Muhammadu Buhari. Atiku was walloped by Buhari with a wide margin in the election.
“History will repeat itself in February as our candidate Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu will equally beat Obi by a large margin.
“We take a particular notice of the part of the endorsement statement where Chief Obasanjo said none of the presidential candidates is a Saint.
“We want to state here that Chief Obasanjo is not a good judge of character. He is a man who considers only himself as the all-knowing Saint in Nigeria.
“Over the years, Chief Obasanjo has also convinced himself that integrity, honesty and all good virtues begin and end with him.”
January 2, 2023
2023: APC PCC Reacts to Obasanjo’s Endorsement Of Peter Obi, Says Its Worthless
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has dismissed Olusegun Obasanjo’s endorsement of Peter Obi, describing it as “worthless”.
Obasanjo endorsed the Labour Party presidential candidate on Sunday, listing several criteria.
But the Director, Media & Publicity of the Council Bayo Onanuga was quick to water down the move.
“We make bold to say that our party and candidate, Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not lose sleep over Obasanjo’s move, as Obasanjo is notorious for always opposing progressive political forces, as he did against MKO Abiola in 1993,” he said in a statement in which he admitted that the former Nigerian president has the right to pick a candidate.
“The endorsement is actually worthless because the former President does not possess any political goodwill or leverage anywhere in Nigeria to make anyone win a Councillorship election let alone win a Presidential election. He is a political paperweight. He is also not a democrat anyone should be proud to be associated with.”
He claimed that “in 2003 and 2007 general elections when he was a sitting President, Obasanjo used all the coercive instruments of State at his disposal to railroad people into elective offices against the will of Nigerians as expressed at the polls. In 2007, he declared the polls a do-or-die affair after he failed in his bid to amend our constitution to have a third term.
“From our records, President Obasanjo has not successfully made anyone win an election in Nigeria since then.
“Not even in Ogun State can anyone rely on his support or endorsement to become a governor or Councillor. We pity Peter Gregory Obi as we are confident that Chief Obasanjo can not win his polling unit and ward in Abeokuta for Obi in the coming Presidential election on 25 February 2023.
“Chief Obasanjo’s endorsement is not a political currency Mr. Peter Obi can spend anywhere in Nigeria because he is not a political force, even in his part of the country.”
APC Campaign Team’s Press Statement
OBASANJO’S ENDORSEMENT OF MR. PETER OBI IS WORTHLESS
We read with amusement the endorsement of Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party Presidential Candidate by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in his New Year message on Sunday.
Following calls by journalists from various media houses who asked for our reaction we decided to make this preliminary statement, though we didn’t consider the so-called endorsement to be of any value.
We respect the democratic right of former President Obasanjo to support and endorse any candidate of his choice in any election.
Except that he made it known formally in his new year message, any discerning political watcher in Nigeria knows that Chief Obasanjo’s preference for Peter Obi is expected. He had earlier stated his position at various public events, the last being at the 70th birthday anniversary of Chief John Nwodo, former President of Ohaneze Ndigbo in Enugu.
We make bold to say that our party and candidate, Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not lose sleep over Obasanjo’s move, as Obasanjo is notorious for always opposing progressive political forces, as he did against MKO Abiola in 1993.
The endorsement is actually worthless because the former President does not possess any political goodwill or leverage anywhere in Nigeria to make anyone win a Councillorship election let alone win a Presidential election. He is a political paperweight.
He is also not a democrat anyone should be proud to be associated with.
We recall that in 2003 and 2007 general elections when he was a sitting President, Obasanjo used all the coercive instruments of State at his disposal to railroad people into elective offices against the will of Nigerians as expressed at the polls. In 2007, he declared the polls a do or die affair after he failed in his bid to amend our constitution to have a third term.
From our records, President Obasanjo has not successfully made anyone win election in Nigeria since then.
Not even in Ogun State can anyone rely on his support or endorsement to become a governor or Councillor.
We pity Peter Gregory Obi as we are confident that Chief Obasanjo can not win his polling unit and ward in Abeokuta for Obi in the coming Presidential election on 25 February, 2023.
Chief Obasanjo’s endorsement is not a political currency Mr. Peter Obi can spend anywhere in Nigeria because he is not a political force, even in his part of the country.
Chief Obasanjo similarly endorsed Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Peoples Democratic Party candidate in 2019 against President Muhammadu Buhari. Atiku was walloped by Buhari with a wide margin in the election.
History will repeat itself in February as our candidate Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu will equally beat Obi by a large margin.
We take a particular notice of the part of the endorsement statement where Chief Obasanjo said none of the presidential candidates is a Saint.
We want to state here that Chief Obasanjo is not a good judge of character. He is a man who considers only himself as the all-knowing Saint in Nigeria.
Over the years, Chief Obasanjo has also convinced himself that integrity, honesty and all good virtues begin and end with him.
Bayo Onanuga
Director, Media & Publicity
APC Presidential Campaign Council
January 1, 2023
January 2, 2023
What’s the worth of Obasanjo’s endorsement?
By Fredrick Nwabufo
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo used to be a chimera. His influence was mythical yet sweeping. In the past, Nigeria was too small to contain his stature — as he dominated the horizons across Africa and beyond. He lived up to his legend of being a human Orisa. He is, perhaps, still one of the most respected leaders out of Africa.
But Obasanjo’s influence within Nigeria appears to have ebbed over the years. His words seem to have lost lustre and his presence vacant of command. Perhaps, when a masquerade comes out to perform all the time, and sometimes without an invitation, it loses its allure and charm.
From 2007 (after he left office) up until 2014, Obasanjo had his wonder and thunder. His position on national matters mattered and was sought after. His missives were denominated ‘’letter bombs’’ for their sheer quality to inflict maximum casualty on the target and sway public opinion.
In 2013, former President Goodluck Jonathan suffered ‘’casualty’’ from one of Obasanjo’s missives. Obasanjo wrote an open letter which technically put a nail to the re-election bid of Jonathan.
In the letter titled ‘’Before it is too late’’, Obasanjo accused Jonathan of many malfeasances. He said: ‘’Allegation of keeping over 1000 people on political watch list rather than criminal or security watch list and training snipers and other armed personnel secretly and clandestinely acquiring weapons to match for political purposes like Abacha and training them where Abacha trained his own killers, if it is true, it cannot augur well for the initiator, the government, and the people of Nigeria.’’
He also accused Jonathan of cleaving Nigeria apart – along the weak seams of north-south and Christian-Muslim. According to him, Jonathan was favouring and promoting his Ijaw kin to the disadvantage of other Nigerians.
Obasanjo’s letter was well-celebrated. It was held up as a definitive and summary verdict on the administration of Jonathan. Obasanjo himself was hailed for his ‘’courage and forthrightness’’, and for his audacity to look power in the eye and spit the truth. But all of that changed after the 2015 elections owing to his overbearing deportment.
In 2018, just three years after President Buhari came to power, Obasanjo applied himself to his accustomed enterprise. He dispatched an open letter to Buhari, accusing him of incompetence. According to Obasanjo: ‘’The lice of poor performance in government – poverty, insecurity, poor economic management, nepotism, gross dereliction of duty, condonation of misdeed – if not outright encouragement of it, lack of progress and hope for the future, lack of national cohesion and poor management of internal political dynamics and widening inequality – are very much with us today.’’
In the build-up to the 2019 elections, Obasanjo fired a salvo. He accused Buhari of failing to address insecurity, of nepotism and of sundry ineptitudes. But Buhari earned the endorsement of Nigerians to serve a second time as president.
Obasanjo said: ‘’For over ten years, for four of which you have been the captain of the ship, Boko Haram has menacingly ravaged the land and in spite of government’s claim of victory over Boko Haram, the potency and the activities of Boko Haram, where they are active, remain undiminished, putting lie to government’s claim. The main issue, if I may dare say, is poor management or mismanagement of diversity which, on the other hand, is one of our greatest and most important assets. As a result, the very onerous cloud is gathering. And the rain of destruction, violence, disaster, and disunity can only be the outcome.’’
In 2021, Obasanjo reprised himself in another letter to Buhari. But over time, his take or opinion on national matters has become tepid, vapid, and lacking in magnetism to hold public interest and to sway public opinion. His opinions have lost the power to cause mortal damage. And those who once eulogised him as the incarnation of courage, truth, and honesty are now his fiercest critics.
It seems that Obasanjo wrestles with anyone he fails to control and abominates anyone who resists his impingements.
Has the Ebora Owu been demystified? What is the worth of Obasanjo’s endorsement? In the heat of the political liaisons in 2022, Obasanjo’s hilltop mansion in Abeokuta, Ogun state, became a cynosure of political pilgrimage as politicians fell over themselves to seek his endorsement of their bids. The rat race for Obasanjo’s endorsement. At the time, supporters of Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party, claimed that the former governor had the blessing of Obasanjo. Although Obasanjo concealed his intentions in pretensions of statesmanship, it was well-noised he was favourably disposed towards Peter Obi’s candidature.
But the former president has cast aside the veil, and has declared support for Peter Obi, today, January 1, 2023.
The truth is Obasanjo’s endorsement cannot take Peter Obi to the presidency. It cannot take him anywhere.
Obasanjo is a big masquerade. His place in Nigeria’s political progression is undisputed. When iconic leaders are to be counted, Obasanjo will have a place. But in the cycle of life, there comes a time when the big masquerade will have to retire – when there is no one left in the crowd.
January 2, 2023
Obasanjo Writes Nigerians, Formally Endorse Obi For Presidency
……Says LP Candidate Has An Edge
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has endorsed the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi as his preferred contestant for the 2023 general elections.
In his 2023 New Year message personally signed by the ex-President and made available to Channels Television by his spokesman, Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo described Obi as his mentee and said the former Anambra State governor has an edge in the February 25, 2023 election.
Obasanjo said, “None of the contestants is a saint but when one compares their character, antecedent, their understanding, knowledge, discipline, and vitality that they can bring to bear and the great efforts required to stay focused on the job, particularly looking at where the country is today and with the experience on the job that I personally had, Peter Obi as a mentee has an edge.
“Others like all of us have what they can collectively contribute to the new dispensation to liberation, restoration and salvaging of Nigeria.
“One other important point to make about Peter is that he is a needle with thread attached to it from North and South and he may not get lost.
“In other words, he has people who can pull his ears, if and when necessary. He has a young and able running mate with a clean track record of achievement both in public and private life.” Obasanjo said.
January 1, 2023
2023: Nobody can threaten me over my preferred candidate – Obasanjo
Amid claims that he is backing Peter Obi, the Labour Party, LP, flag bearer, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said nobody can threaten him over his choice of a presidential candidate.
Obasanjo said he had shed blood and gone to prison; hence nobody could threaten him about his choice of a presidential candidate.
He disclosed this at the Ohanaeze Ndigbo National Secretariat in Enugu State.
Obasanjo had visited the Secretariat in the company of Afenifere’s leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo and Obi.
They visited the Secretariat to pay condolence over the death of First Republic Aviation Minister, Mbazulike Amaechi.
However, Obasanjo said: “I have shed my blood for this country. I have gone to prison for this country.
“So, what are you going to frighten or threaten me with? The only thing that my senior brother (Adebanjo) hasn’t done is that he hasn’t shed his blood but he has gone to prison but we will leave that aside.”
He said Nigeria’s problem was more national than ethnic.
The former president lamented that Nigeria was yet to have a leader with the right type of character.
“The problem we have in our hands in Nigeria is not ethnic. It is national. And for me, the most important thing in a leader is character.
“If I put my hand on someone, it means that comparing with the other, I see that there is a merit that will be of benefit to Nigeria,” he said.
December 13, 2022
Oil and gas can no longer sustain Nigeria – Ex-president
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said the oil and gas sector can no longer sustain the nation in the face of burgeoning population.
Obasanjo said this when he hosted the leadership of the apex socio-cultural group of the Tiv from Benue State, Mzough U Tiv (MUT) at his Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) penthouse in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, at the weekend.
He urged fellow Nigerians to see the country as one for all “to save it and restore to what God has created it to be”.
The elder statesman, who was responding to a speech by MUT’s President General, Chief C. P. Iorbee Ihagh, noted that only more farming and modernised agricultural businesses could solve the food needs of Nigeria’s growing population.
In a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, the former President and renowned farmer advised the Tiv nationality to focus on farming and agricultural businesses.
The elder statesman said he had treated the burning of his farm in Benue State as an act of fate, hinting that he might establish an industry in the state next year.
Obasanjo said he supported the change of the country’s leadership from the North to the South while, adding that the Middle Belt should continue to call for rotational presidency.
“If Nigeria is ready to get it right, the 2023 election should be a turning point. We should not go for emotion that will destroy us,” he said.
The ex-President, who was conferred with the title of a “Great Warrior” of Tiv land by MUT, warned that voting for candidates on the basis of emotions would be destructive.
Ihagh said the group’s friendship visit “is basically to interface with you as our former Head of State, a political pillar, a nationalist, and an elder statesman, to appreciate your overwhelming love, passion and he concern you have demonstrated over the Tiv people”.
The MUT president general listed three prayers for the former President’s consideration, including the need for the establishment of a fruit juice industry in Benue State and inclusive national politics.
He reminded Obasanjo of Fulani herders’ attacks on TIV land and the group’s position on the need for a power sharing formula among the nation’s diverse ethnic nationalities.
“With regard to the current power equation in the country, we in the Mzough u Tiv, in conjunction with the Middle Belt Forum, had unanimously resolved for power shift from the North to the South for fairness, justice and a true federalism.
“We want to call on Your Excellency and other well-meaning Nigerians to strictly adhere to the principle of rotation and distributive justice.
“If this is enforced, the Middle Belt would also be assured of producing the next President in Year 2031,” Ihagh said.
December 5, 2022
Obasanjo’s Image Ought To Be In The Redesigned Naira Note – Atiku
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 general elections, Atiku Abubakar says one of the three naira notes about to be redesigned should have the image of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Atiku, in a string of tweets on Saturday, also saluted the 85-year-old elder statesman and African Union’s mediator for leading peace talks between the Ethiopian Government and Tigrayan rebels after two years of devastating conflict that have claimed thousands of lives and left millions needing aid in Africa’s second-most populous country.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) had in a statement this week agreed to “permanently silence the guns” and end the two years of conflict in northern Ethiopia.
The conflict erupted on November 4, 2020, when Nobel peace laureate Abiy sent troops into Tigray after accusing the TPLF, the regional ruling party, of attacking federal army camps.
Atiku, on Saturday, celebrated the “extraordinary prowess” of Obasanjo in bringing peace to Ethiopia.
“I am not surprised. I know my boss. He did the same thing in Liberia and São Tomé and Príncipe during our time in office,” the PDP candidate said. Atiku was Nigeria’s Vice-President between May 1999 and May 2007 when Obasanjo was a democratically elected President. Obasanjo and Atiku’s second term in office was not smooth but the two would later resolve their differences.
“If for nothing else, he is most deserving of a Nobel Peace Prize, and I will nominate him when entries are open for nominations.
“Africa is blessed to have a statesman of such impeccable democratic credentials as Chief Obasanjo. A man whose image ought to be in the redesigned Naira note to inspire future generations of Nigerians to sacrifice for their nation and continent,” he added.
On October 26, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele said the apex bank will issue redesigned N200, N500, and N1,000 notes, effective December 15, 2022, while the new and existing currencies will remain legal tender and circulate together until January 31, 2023.
November 5, 2022
2023 Elections may Make or Break Nigeria – Obasanjo
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has warned about the outcome of 2023 general elections in the country.
Speaking on Wednesday September 23, when President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Reverend Daniel T. Okoh, paid him a courtesy visit at his Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) Penthouse residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, the former President said 2023 election may make or mar Nigeria.
Obasanjo in the statement released by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, said if clerics allow the political class to wreck Nigeria, “everyone would regret it”.
The statement read;
“If you stand on the truth, you stand for justice and equity, then the politicians will not be able to mess us around and I will say it with all sense of responsibility now, if we do not watch it, the politicians will wreck this country and we all regret it.
“And where can we look for salvation, that is where you religious leaders have a significant role to play. I think it’s the mistake of the past (particularly in Christendom), that we say politics is not for the righteous. Now, if we take the righteous away from politics, and we leave politics to the unrighteous, the unrighteous will smear the righteous with the unrighteousness that they will carry into politics and will have nowhere to go.
“And in the next election, if we do not watch it, it may make or break Nigeria. And I pray that it will make Nigeria.”
Obasanjo also applauded the CAN President over his relationship with the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar in promoting peace in the country.
September 28, 2022
Nigeria of Today Is Politically Disunited – Obasanjo
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that Nigeria needs to have national dream and identity which would unity citizens and provide sense of pride and investment in the nation for all.
Obasanjo, who was military head of state (1975-1979) and civilian president (1999-2007) said Nigeria is politically disunited at present, economically nowhere and lost its spot on the table on the international scene.
The former president, who chaired a colloquium organised by the Kings College Old Boys Association to mark the 113th anniversary of the school in Lagos, said Nigeria has never been as disunited as it is today since the Civil War.
He called on Nigerians to elect responsible leaders who have no arrogant and nepotistic tendencies in order to reposition the country and unify its people.
Obasanjo stressed that the country needs a government that understands governance as keeping Nigeria one and a task that must be done.
“Today, we are politically disunited. We have never been this disunited, not even during the civil war. Economically, we are nowhere and diplomatically, what they say to me wherever I go is that Nigeria is not at the table.
“We need to have a government that understands what it means to govern and the responsibility to govern; not arrogance of ignorance, not crying nepotism. If we have the right government that understands Nigeria and Africa, if we do what is right, investment will come. We must have the right instrument to get the right solution to our problems. We have to be where Nigeria must be. Nigeria has no business with poverty, insecurity and even political division,” Obasanjo said.
Speaking on the theme of the colloquium ‘Building Nigeria of our dream’, the former president said economic emancipation and citizens’ wellbeing are central to the national dream.
While stating that the Nigerian dream must start from the national identity, which all Nigerians can hold on to, he emphasised that national identity is the foundation of social cohesion.
According to him, weak social cohesion causes distrust as people are reluctant to engage with one another.
“We do not trust ourselves while confidence is totally destroyed and where there is no confidence, there is no togetherness. If we have no dream, then, what can be the inspiration for the aspiration of our youths? What can they look up to or aspire to? We must take being a Nigerian as first and being anything else as second. If we have a Nigerian dream, there will be a vision for our youth.
“The Americans can say they have the American dream, the British can say they have the British dream but in our case, do we really have what we can call the Nigerian dream? For me, the Nigerian dream will start from the national identity, which we can all hold on to. National identity is the foundation of social position. Even when you look into our constitution, there is something we call national ethics.
“There are three races in the world, the white, the yellow and the black. For now, the Americans are leading the white race. The Chinese have taken the lead of the yellow race. I believe Nigeria with a population of 225million people is created by God to lead the black race. So whatever we do, we disappoint ourselves, we disappoint Africa and disappoint the black race. We must stop disappointing ourselves and when we stop disappointing ourselves, we will take care of the continent and the black race,” Obasanjo said.
September 26, 2022
2023: Obasanjo Dismisses Reports of Endorsing Tinubu
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has denied reports that he endorsed the presidential ambition of the APC candidate, Bola Tinubu, when he visited him in Abeokuta.
In a statement by Obasanjo’s Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, on Saturday, the former president said the statements coming from those claiming to be supporters of Tinubu are unhelpful.
He said the discussion during the visit was “more brotherly than political.”
Obasanjo’s aide further said the former President has neither agreed nor disapproved of Tinubu’s ‘request’.
“Those claiming to be insiders at the meeting issuing statement on the discussion and those crediting to me statement I had not made are enemies of the visitor and are not doing the visit any good.”
Mr Tinubu had visited Mr Obasanjo at the former President’s private penthouse residence within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library on Wednesday.
Those who accompanied Tinubu included two former governors of the state, Olusegun Osoba and Gbenga Daniel; former interim national chairman of APC, Bisi Akande; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; pioneer Chairman of the EFCC, Nuhu Ribadu, among others.
Gbajabiamila had told journalists in Lagos that Obasanjo made encouraging statements about Tinubu’s aspiration and even prayed for the APC presidential candidate.
He added that Obasanjo assured Tinubu of victory at the polls.
August 20, 2022