President Goodluck Jonathan has
telephoned former President Olusegun
Obasanjo to deny responsibility for
promoting a controversial member of
his
Peoples Democratic Party, Buruji
Kashamu, as an influential party
leader in
the south-west geo-political zone, a
development that has infuriated Mr.
Obasanjo, sources close to the former
president said Saturday.
Mr. Obasanjo was travelling in Addis
Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, at the
time
of the conversation with Mr. Jonathan,
those familiar with the matter said.
Usually reliable presidency sources
said
Mr. Jonathan hurriedly called Mr.
Obasanjo on Thursday shortly after he
received the former president’s latest
letter informing him and the PDP
National
Chairman, Bamanga Tukur, that he
was
suspending participation in party
activities for as long as the ruling
party
continued to treat Mr. Kashamu,
believed
to be a fugitive, with reverence.
Our sources said during the telephone
exchanges, Mr. Jonathan appealed to
Mr.
Obasanjo to reconsider his decision to
suspend himself from the party, saying
he
would personally prevail on Mr. Tukur
to
stop fraternizing with Mr. Kashamu
and
imposing him on the South-West PDP
as
a rallying point.
The president, according to our
sources,
told Mr. Obasanjo that he had never
met
Mr. Kashamu and had never instructed
anyone to accord the controversial
Ogun
politician a special or preferential
treatment in the party.
“Baba, believe me, I don’t know
Kashamu,” our sources quoted Mr.
Jonathan as saying. “I think it is the
chairman (Tukur) that knows him.
Personally, I have nothing with him.
But I
will ask chairman.
“Kindly consider your decision again.
The
PDP belongs to us all and we need to
correct whatever is wrong together.”
The president then promised to “hear
from” Mr Tukur, and to “do
something”
about the matter, those informed
about
the discussion said.
In his response, Mr. Obasanjo is said
to
have explained to the president his
frustration at explaining to world
leaders
how an alleged criminal, wanted by
the
United States authorities, ended up as
a
leader of Nigeria’s ruling party.
He reportedly told the president that
his
assurance of action might amount to
nothing as he believed not much could
be
done as of now.
The Special Adviser to the President on
Media, Reuben Abati could not be
reached
to comment for this story. Several
telephone calls to him failed to
connect.
But three separate presidential aides,
who
do no want to be named for fear they
might be sanctioned, however
confirmed
details of the conversation between Mr.
Jonathan and Mr. Obasanjo.
Contacted, Mr. Obasanjo’s
spokesperson,
Tunde Oladunjoye, said he had no
permission from his boss to confirm
details of his conversation with
anyone.
An aide of the former president
however
confirmed the exchanges.
Ex-President Obasanjo’s letter to PDP
Chairman Bamanga Tukur
Mr. Obasanjo had in a January 7 letter
to
Mr. Tukur announced that he was
withdrawing from the activities of the
PDP
for as long as Mr. Kashamu, whom he
accuses of being a “wanted habitual
criminal”, remains a leader of the
party in
the south west, the former president’s
geopolitical zone.
In a letter to Mr. Tukur on Tuesday, Mr.
Obasanjo said he would remain a
“card-
carrying member” of the governing
party,
but will no longer participate in the
party’s functions at all levels.
“Politics played by any national
political
party must have morality, decency,
discipline, principles and leadership
examples as cardinal practices of the
party,” the former president’s letter,
published on Saturday, read. “I have
attached here recent documents that
clearly indicates that you extolled PDP
zonal leader in the South West of
Nigeria
and an indigene of Ogun State, who is,
to
say the least, not a credit to the party
as
a member let alone being a zonal
leader.”
Mr. Obasanjo, a native of Ogun State,
as
Mr. Kashamu, said while he believed
that
a truly national political party should,
as
a microcosm of a nation, bear all
forms
of characters as members, he however
found no justification in extolling a
“known criminal” wanted abroad on
drug-related charges.
“Since I stick in my practice of party
politics to the hallowed and cherished
principles enunciated above, I take this
opportunity to let you know that while I
continue to remain a card-carrying
member of PDP, I cannot and I will not
subscribe to a wanted habitual
criminal
being installed as my zonal leader in
the
party; a criminal for whom extradition
has been requested by the US
government,” Mr. Obasanjo said.
Mr. Kashamu dismissed Mr.
Obasanjo’s
letter as a “cocktail of lies” and a
“campaign of calumny” inspired by the
former president’s loss of political
relevance in the Southwest.
“Let me state from the outset that
contrary to Obasanjo’s claim, I am not
the
leader of the party in the South West,”
he
said in a statement on Saturday. “I am
just one of the party’s foot soldiers in
the
zone and it is in that capacity that I
am
made the chairman of the Organisation
and Mobilisation Committee for the
party
in the zone.”
Mr. Kashamu said it was
“preposterous”
to be referred to as the leader of the
party
in a zone that parades Bode George,
Shuaibu Oyedokun, Lekan Balogun,
Iyiola
Omisore, Teslim Folarin, Yekeen
Adeojo,
Clement Awoyelu, Ayodele Fayose,
Bode
Olajumoke.
He denied being wanted in the US.
Officials close to President Jonathan
and
Mr. Obasanjo said the president
contacted
the former leader by phone after being
informed of Mr. Obasanjo’s letter to the
PDP chairman. He denied
responsibility
for Mr. Kashamu’s appointment, a
decision he blamed on Mr. Tukur, who
has been at the centre of the PDP’s
months of intractable internal crisis.
Coming about a month after Mr.
Obasanjo penned a scathing letter
accusing Mr. Jonathan of being inept
and
corrupt –allegations the president
rejected in his reply-, the telephone
communication over Mr. Kashamu
appears partly a fence-mending move
by
the two leaders as their party’s
troubles
escalate in the face of credible threat
from
the opposition All Progressives
Congress,
APC.
The PDP National Chairman, Alhaji
Bamanga Tukur, on Saturday said
former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s
fatherly aura and experience in politics
were still required by the party.
Tukur said this in reaction to a letter
written to him and President Goodluck
Jonathan, dated Jan. 7, 2014, by
Obasanjo.
Obasanjo had, in the letter, raised
some issues related to the PDP in the
country’s South-West geo-political
zone.
The letter had also conveyed
Obasanjo’s decision to withdraw from
participating in the party`s politics at
all levels.
“It is an honour that you deemed it fit
and proper to intimate me with an
issue important to your mind and our
party in the south-west zone.
“It is my wish and prayer that such
cordial and positive relationship will
continue,” Tukur said.
He stated that Obasanjo’s experiences
as one of the party`s founding fathers
were required in its drive to get
stronger and become more formidable.
Tukur said the PDP had more pressing
challenges, bordering most
importantly on the coming Ekiti and
Osun states’ governorship elections
and the 2015 general elections.
All this, he said, required strong inputs
from the former president.
The PDP national chairman said
continuous dialogue was needed for a
stronger partnership among the
party’s stakeholders.
He maintained that the need for PDP
to reclaim lost grounds in the south-
west required the full support of party
leaders like Obasanjo.
Tukur expressed gratitude to Obasanjo
for his manner of approach and for
presenting his grievances on issues in
the PDP south-west.
“I thank you for your gesture and I
pray that we shall all continue to
dialogue and partner, so he can move
our party forward,” he said.
Baba also said there was the need for
PDP to attain success in the
governorship elections coming up in
Ekiti and Osun and the subsequent
elections in 2015.
This, according to him, was critical to
reclaiming lost grounds in the South-
West zone of the country.
On issues raised by Obasonjo in the
letter on the state of PDP in the south-
west, Tukur said the crisis within the
PDP in the zone preceded his
emergence as the party`s national
chairman.
He insisted that the party’s National
Executive Committee and the National
Working Committee were never part of
the problems in the south-west PDP.
“We came in when we were threatened
with contempt of court charges for not
obeying the court’s order to dissolve
the south-west zonal executive and
remove some officers of the party.
“We complied with the court orders
because of our belief in the rule of law
and to avoid consequences of
disobeying such orders.’’ Tukur said.
Obasanjo withdraws from PDP •Writes
Tukur, copies Jonathan •PDP govs give
conditions for peace.
President Olusegun Obasanjo has fired
another letter, this time, to the National
Chairman of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, in
which he gave a notice of his
withdrawal from the activities of the
party.
Obasanjo also sent a copy of the letter
to President Goodluck Jonathan as
National Leader of the party. A copy of
the letter was obtained by the Saturday
Tribune.
The former president, in the letter, said
he was withdrawing from all activities of
the party because the PDP had been
negating the principles of morality,
decency and discipline in its decisions,
especially as they affect the South West
where he comes from.
The letter, dated January 7, 2014,
according to a source at the national
secretariat of the party, was received in
the office of Tukur on Wednesday, 8
January, 2014. It is believed that
President Jonathan also got his own
copy on Thursday.
Obasanjo accused the party leadership
of imposing someone (names witheld),
who he described as a criminal wanted
abroad, on the party as its South West
zonal leader and proceeded to add that
he was forwarding with the letter,
“recent documents” on the alleged
activities of the person.
Efforts to get copies of the “recent
documents” by Saturday Tribune from
both the PDP national secretariat as
well as from Obasanjo’s side were,
however, not successful but a source at
PDP’s national secretariat confirmed
that the letter came with attachments.
He did not give further details.
The three paragraph letter reads:
“While I believe that a good and truly
national political party must be a
microcosm of the nation in its
membership, made up of all sorts of
characters from near-saints to near-
satan, I also believe that on no account
should a known habitual criminal that is
wanted abroad to face criminal charges
levelled against him be extolled as a
political leader in a respectable and
wholesome nation-building political
party.
“(...Names witheld) has been so extolled
in PDP in South-West geo-political zone
which I personally find unsavoury.
Politics played by any national political
party must have morality, decency,
discipline, principles and leadership
examples as cardinal practices of the
party. I have attached here recent
documents that clearly indicate that
your extolled PDP Zonal Leader in the
South-West zone of Nigeria and an
indigene of Ogun State is, to say the
least, not a credit to the party as a
member, let alone being a zonal leader.
“Since I stick in my practice of party
politics to the hallowed and cherished
principles enunciated above, I take this
opportunity to let you know that while I
continue to remain a card-carrying
member of PDP, I cannot and I will not
subscribe to a wanted habitual criminal
being installed as my zonal leader in the
party; a criminal for whom extradition
has been requested by the US
government. In the meantime, I will
consider withdrawing my activity with
PDP at local, state, zonal and national
levels until the anomalous and
shameful situation is corrected.”
A meeting of South West leaders of the
party, it was gathered, will hold in
Ibadan, Oyo State, today and may also
come up with far-reaching decisions on
the future of the party in the zone.
PDP governors give fresh conditions for
peace
PEOPLES Democratic Party (PDP)
governors have given fresh conditions
for peace to return to the party and for
the chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, to
remain in office.
Part of the conditions, according to
information gathered by the Saturday
Tribune, is for President Goodluck
Jonathan to prevail on Tukur to return
the structures of the party to them in
their respective states as well as make
them the leaders. Only after this would
they agree to resume adequate funding
of the party at all levels as well as its
national secretariat.
Part of Tukur’s ‘sins’ is his alleged
incessant interference in the affairs of
the state chapters, which is said to have
led to the setting up of caretaker
committees for some of the chapters.
The situation did not go down well with
the governors, who saw the action as
erosion of their powers as leaders in
their respective states.
The new development, sources close to
the governors said, followed the
intervention of some respected leaders
of the party who reportedly counseled
them on the implications of removing
Tukur now that the 2015 general
elections are around the corner.
Saturday Tribune, however, learnt that
the development had created a sharp
division among the governors, as some
of them are still insisting that the
embattled chairman must go as earlier
demanded, for them continue to be
relevant in the scheme of things in the
party ahead of the 2015 elections.
The likes of the governors of Jigawa
and Niger states, who were members of
the aggrieved G7 Governors before five
of them defected to the All Progressives
Congress (APC), and some others are
said to have insisted that for genuine
peace to return to the PDP and for the
party to maintain its supremacy come
2015 elections, there must be a
complete change of leadership.
However, one of the aides to Alhaji
Tukur revealed that the cause of friction
between Tukur and the governors was
his insistence that the party must be
returned to the grassroots, and that the
constitution of the party must be
followed to the letter to allow for due
process in election of candidates for
party or elective offices, rather than the
old order of imposition of candidates by
state governors without due process.
December 20th 2013
His Excellency,
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR
Agbe L’Oba House, Quarry Road,
Ibara, Abeokuta.
RE: BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE
I wish to formally acknowledge
your letter dated December 2, 2013
and other previous correspondence
similar to it.
You will recall that all the letters
were brought to me by hand.
Although both of us discussed
some of the issues in those letters, I
had not, before now, seen the need
for any formal reply since, to me,
they contained advice from a
former President to a serving
President. Obviously, you felt
differently because in your last
letter, you complained about my
not acknowledging or replying your
previous letters.
It is with the greatest possible
reluctance that I now write this
reply. I am most uneasy about
embarking on this unprecedented
and unconventional form of open
communication between me and a
former leader of our country
because I know that there are more
acceptable and dignified means of
doing so.
But I feel obliged to reply your letter
for a number of reasons: one, you
formally requested for a reply and
not sending you one will be
interpreted as ignoring a former
President.
Secondly, Nigerians know the role
you have played in my political life
and given the unfortunate tone of
your letter, clearly, the grapes have
gone sour. Therefore, my side of the
story also needs to be told.
The third reason why I must reply
you in writing is that your letter is
clearly a threat to national security
as it may deliberately or
inadvertently set the stage for
subversion.
The fourth reason for this reply is
that you raised very weighty issues,
and since the letter has been made
public, Nigerians are expressing
legitimate concerns. A response
from me therefore, becomes very
necessary.
The fifth reason is that this letter
may appear in biographies and
other books which political
commentators on Nigeria’s
contemporary politics may write. It
is only proper for such publications
to include my comments on the
issues raised in your letter.
Sixthly, you are very unique in
terms of the governance of this
country. You were a military Head
of State for three years and eight
months, and an elected President
for eight years. That means you
have been the Head of Government
of Nigeria for about twelve years.
This must have, presumably,
exposed you to a lot of information.
Thus when you make a statement,
there is the tendency for people to
take it seriously.
The seventh reason is that the
timing of your letter coincided with
other vicious releases. The Speaker
of the House of Representatives
spoke of my “body language”
encouraging corruption. A letter
written to me by the CBN Governor
alleging that NNPC, within a period
of 19 months did not remit the sum
of USD49.8 billion to the federation
account, was also deliberately
leaked to the public.
The eighth reason is that it appears
that your letter was designed to
incite Nigerians from other
geopolitical zones against me and
also calculated to promote ethnic
disharmony. Worse still, your letter
was designed to instigate members
of our Party, the PDP, against me.
The ninth reason is that your letter
conveys to me the feeling that
landmines have been laid for me.
Therefore, Nigerians need to have
my response to the issues raised
before the mines explode.
The tenth and final reason why my
reply is inevitable is that you have
written similar letters and made
public comments in reference to all
former Presidents and Heads of
Government starting from Alhaji
Shehu Shagari and these have
instigated different actions and
reactions. The purpose and
direction of your letter is distinctly
ominous, and before it is too late,
my clarifications on the issues need
to be placed on record.
Let me now comment on the issues
you raised. In commenting I wish to
crave your indulgence to compare
what is happening now to what
took place before. This, I believe,
will enable Nigerians see things in
better perspective because we must
know where we are coming from so
as to appreciate where we now are,
and to allow us clearly map out
where we are going.
You raised concerns about the
security situation in the country. I
assure you that I am fully aware of
the responsibility of government for
ensuring the security of the lives
and property of citizens. My
Administration is working
assiduously to overcome current
national security challenges, the
seeds of which were sown under
previous administrations. There
have been some setbacks; but
certainly there have also been great
successes in our efforts to
overcome terrorism and
insurgency.
Those who continue to down-play
our successes in this regard,
amongst whom you must now be
numbered, appear to have
conveniently forgotten the depths to
which security in our country had
plunged before now.
At a stage, almost the entire North-
East of Nigeria was under siege by
insurgents. Bombings of churches
and public buildings in the North
and the federal capital became an
almost weekly occurrence. Our
entire national security apparatus
seemed nonplussed and unable to
come to grips with the new threat
posed by the berthing of terrorism
on our shores.
But my administration has since
brought that very unacceptable
situation under significant control.
We have overhauled our entire
national security architecture,
improved intelligence gathering,
training, funding, logistical support
to our armed forces and security
agencies, and security collaboration
with friendly countries with very
visible and positive results.
The scope and impact of terrorist
operations have been significantly
reduced and efforts are underway
to restore full normalcy to the most
affected North Eastern region and
initiate a post-crisis development
agenda, including a special
intervention programme to boost
the region’s socio-economic
progress.
In doing all this, we have kept our
doors open for dialogue with the
insurgents and their supporters
through efforts such as the work of
the Presidential Committee on
Dialogue and the Peaceful
Resolution of the Security
Challenges in the North-East. You
also know that the Governor of
Borno State provided the items you
mentioned to me as carrots. Having
done all this and more, it is
interesting that you still accuse me
of not acting on your hardly original
recommendation that the carrot
and stick option be deployed to
solve the Boko Haram problem.
Your suggestion that we are
pursuing a “war against violence
without understanding the root
causes of the violence and applying
solutions to deal with all the
underlying factors” is definitely
misplaced because from the onset
of this administration, we have
been implementing a multifaceted
strategy against militancy,
insurgency and terrorism that
includes poverty alleviation,
economic development, education
and social reforms.
Even though basic education is the
constitutional responsibility of
States, my administration has, as
part of its efforts to address
ignorance and poor education
which have been identified as two
of the factors responsible for
making some of our youth easily
available for use as cannon fodder
by insurgents and terrorists,
committed huge funds to the
provision of modern basic
education schools for the Almajiri
in several Northern States. The
Federal Government under my
leadership has also set up nine
additional universities in the
Northern States and three in the
Southern States in keeping with my
belief that proper education is the
surest way of emancipating and
empowering our people.
More uncharitable persons may
even see a touch of
sanctimoniousness in your new
belief in the carrot and stick
approach to overcoming militancy
and insurgency. You have always
referred to how you hit Odi in
Bayelsa State to curb militancy in
the Niger Delta. If the invasion of
Odi by the Army was the stick, I did
not see the corresponding carrot. I
was the Deputy Governor of
Bayelsa State then, and as I have
always told you, the invasion of Odi
did not solve any militancy problem
but, to some extent, escalated it. If
it had solved it, late President
Yar’Adua would not have had to
come up with the amnesty
program. And while some elements
of the problem may still be there, in
general, the situation is reasonably
better.
In terms of general insecurity in the
country and particularly the crisis
in the Niger Delta, 2007 was one of
the worst periods in our history.
You will recall three incidents that
happened in 2007 which seemed to
have been orchestrated to achieve
sinister objectives. Here in Abuja, a
petrol tanker loaded with explosives
was to be rammed into the INEC
building. But luckily for the country,
an electric pole stopped the tanker
from hitting the INEC building. It is
clear that this incident was meant
to exploit the general sense of
insecurity in the nation at the time
to achieve the aim of stopping the
2007 elections. It is instructive that
you, on a number of occasions,
alluded to this fact.
When that incident failed, an armed
group invaded Yenagoa one
evening with the intent to
assassinate me. Luckily for me,
they could not. They again attacked
and bombed my country home on a
night when I was expected in the
village. Fortunately, as God would
have it, I did not make the trip.
I recall that immediately after both
incidents, I got calls expressing the
concern of Abuja. But Baba, you
know that despite the apparent
concern of Abuja, no single arrest
was ever made. I was then the
Governor of Bayelsa State and the
PDP Vice-Presidential candidate.
The security people ordinarily
should have unraveled the
assassination attempt on me.
You also raised the issues of
kidnapping, piracy and armed
robbery. These are issues all
Nigerians, including me are very
concerned about. While we will
continue to do our utmost best to
reduce all forms of criminality to
the barest minimum in our country,
it is just as well to remind you that
the first major case of kidnapping
for ransom took place around
2006. And the Boko Haram crisis
dates back to 2002. Goodluck
Jonathan was not the President of
the country then. Also, armed
robbery started in this country
immediately after the civil war and
since then, it has been a problem to
all succeeding governments. For a
former Head of Government, who
should know better, to present
these problems as if they were
creations of the Jonathan
Administration is most
uncharitable.
Having said that, let me remind you
of some of the things we have done
to curb violent crime in the country.
We have reorganized the Nigerian
Police Force and appointed a more
dynamic leadership to oversee its
affairs. We have also improved its
manpower levels as well as
funding, training and logistical
support.
We have also increased the
surveillance capabilities of the
Police and provided its air-wing
with thrice the number of
helicopters it had before the
inception of the present
administration. The National Civil
Defence and Security Corps has
been armed to make it a much
more effective ally of the police and
other security agencies in the war
against violent crime. At both
domestic and international levels,
we are doing everything possible to
curb the proliferation of the small
arms and light weapons with which
armed robberies, kidnappings and
piracy are perpetrated. We have
also enhanced security at our
borders to curb cross-border
crimes.
We are aggressively addressing the
challenge of crude oil theft in
collaboration with the state
Governors. In addition, the Federal
Government has engaged the
British and US governments for
their support in the tracking of the
proceeds from the purchase of
stolen crude. Similarly, a regional
Gulf of Guinea security strategy has
been initiated to curb crude oil theft
and piracy.
Perhaps the most invidious
accusation in your letter is the
allegation that I have placed over
one thousand Nigerians on a
political watch list, and that I am
training snipers and other militia to
assassinate people. Baba, I don’t
know where you got that from but
you do me grave injustice in not
only lending credence to such
baseless rumours, but also
publicizing it. You mentioned God
seventeen times in your letter. Can
you as a Christian hold the Bible
and say that you truly believe this
allegation?
It brings me no joy to have to write this
but since you started this trend of open
letters I thought I would follow suit
since you don’t listen to anyone
anyway. The only way to reach you
may be to make the public aware of
some things. As a child well brought
up by my long-suffering mother in
Yoruba tradition, I have been reluctant
to tell the truth about you but as it
seems you still continue to delude
yourself about the kind of person you
are and I think for posterity’s sake it is
time to set the records straight.
I will return to the issue of my long-
suffering mother later in this letter.
Like most Nigerians, I believe there are
very enormous issues currently
plaguing the country but I was surely
surprised that you will be the one to
publish such a treatise. I remember
clearly as if it was yesterday the day I
came over to Abuja from Abeokuta
when I was Commissioner of Health in
OgunState, specifically to ask you not
to continue to pursue the third term
issue.
I had tried to bring it up when your
sycophantic aides were present and
they brushed my comments aside and
as usual you listened to their self-
serving counsel. For you to accuse
someone else of what you so obviously
practiced yourself tells of your
narcissistic megalomaniac personality.
Everyone around for even a few
minutes knows that the only thing you
respond to is praise and worship of
you. People have learnt how to
manipulate you by giving you what
you crave. The only ones that can’t
and will not stroke your ego are family
members who you universally treat like
poo (sic) apart from the few who have
learned to manipulate you like others.
Before I continue, Nigerians are people
who see conspiracy and self-service in
everything because I think they believe
everyone is like them. This letter is not
in support of President Jonathan or
APC or any other group or person, but
an outpouring from my soul to God. I
don’t blame you for the many
atrocities you have been able to get
away with, Nigerians were your
enablers every step of the way.
People
ultimately get leaders that reflect them.
Getting back to the story, I made sure
your aides were not around and
brought up the issue, trying to deliver
the presentation of the issue as I had
practiced it in my head. I started with
the fact that we copied the US
constitution which has term limits of
two terms for a President. As is your
usual manner, you didn’t allow me to
finish my thought process and listen to
my point of view. Once I broached the
subject you sat up and said that the
US had no term limits in the past but
that it had been introduced in the
1940s after the death of President
Roosevelt, which is true.
I wanted to say to you: when you copy
something you also copy the
modifications based on the learning
from the original; only a fool starts
from scratch and does not base his
decisions on the learning of others. In
science, we use the modifications
found by others long ago to the most
recent, as the basis of new findings;
not going back to discover and learn
what others have learnt. Human
knowledge and development and
civilization will not have progressed if
each new generation and society did
not build on the knowledge of others
before them.
The American constitution itself is
based on several theories and
philosophies of governance available
in the 18th century. Democracy itself is
a governance method started by the
ancient Greeks. America’s founding
fathers used it with modifications
based on what hadn’t worked well for
the ancient Greeks and on new
theories since then.
As usual in our conversations, I kept
quiet because I know you well. You
weren’t going to change your mind
based on my intervention as you had
already made up your mind on the
persuasion of the minions working for
you who were ripping the country
blind. When I spoke to you, your
outward attitude to the people of the
country was that you were not
interested in the third term and that it
was others pushing it. Your statement
to me that day proved to me that you
were the brain behind the third term
debacle. It is therefore outrageous that
you accuse the current President of a
similar two-facedness that you
yourself used against the people of the
country.
I was on a plane trip between Abuja
and Lagos around the time of the third
term issue and I sat next to one of
your sycophants on the plane. He told
me: “Only Obasanjo can rule Nigeria”.
I replied: “God has not created a
country where only one person can
rule. If only one person can rule
Nigeria then the whole Nigeria project
is not a viable one, as it will be a non-
sustainable project”
I don’t know how you came about
Yar’Adua as the candidate for your
party as it was not my priority or job.
Unlike you, I focus on the issues I have
been given responsibility over and not
on the jobs of others. It was the day of
the PDP Presidential Campaign in
Abeokuta during the state-by-state
tour of 2007 that Yar’Adua got sick
and had to be flown abroad. The MKO
Abiola Stadium was already filled with
people by 9am when I drove by (and)
we had told people based on the
campaign schedule that the rally would
start at noon.
At 11 am I headed for the stadium on
foot; it was a short walk as there were
so many cars already parked in and
out. As I walked on with two other
people, we saw crowds of people
leaving the stadium. I recognized some
of them as politicians and I asked
them why people were leaving. They
said the Presidential candidate had
died. I was alarmed and shocked. I
walked back home and received a call
from a friend in Lagos who said the
same and added that he had died in
the plane carrying him abroad for
treatment and that the plane was on
its way to Katsina to bury him.
I called you, and told you the
information and that the stadium was
already half-empty. You told me to go
to the stadium and tell the people on
the podium to announce that the
Presidential candidate had taken ill
that morning but the rest of the team,
including you and the Vice-Presidential
candidate would arrive shortly. I did as
I was told, but even the people on the
podium at first didn’t make the
announcement because they thought it
was true that Yar’Adua had died. I had
to take the microphone and make the
announcement myself. It did little
good. People kept trooping out of the
stadium. Your team didn’t arrive until
4pm and by this time we had just a
sprinkling of people left.
That evening after the disaster of a
rally, you said you had insisted that
the Presidential candidate fly to
Germany for a check-up although you
said he only had a cold. I asked why
would anyone fly to Germany to treat a
cold? And you said “I would rather die
than have the man die at this time.” I
thought of this profound statement as
things later unfolded against me.
Then
I thought it a silly statement but as
usual I kept quiet, little did I know how
your machinations for a person would
be used against me. When Yar’Adua
eventually died, you stayed alive, I
would have expected you to jump into
his grave.
I left Nigeria in 1989 right after youth
service to study in the US and I visited
in 1994 for a week and didn’t visit
again until your inauguration in 1999.
In between, you had been arrested by
Abacha and jailed. We, your children,
had no one who stood with us. Stella
famously went around collecting
money on your behalf but we had no
one. We survived. I was the only one of
the children working then as a post-
doctoral fellow when I got the call
from a friend informing me of your
arrest.
A week before your arrest, you had
called me from Denmark and I had
told you that you should be careful
that the government was very offended
by some of your statements and
actions and may be planning to arrest
or kill you as was occurring to many at
the time. The source of my information
was my mother who, agitated, had
called me, saying I should warn you as
this was the rumour in the country.
As
usual you brushed aside my
comments, shouting on the phone that
they cannot try anything and you will
do and say as you please. The
consequence of your bravado is
history.
We, your family, have borne the brunt
of your direct cruelty and also suffered
the consequences of your stupidity but
got none of the benefits of your
successes. Of course, anyone around
you knows how little respect you have
for your children.
You think our existence on earth is
about you. By the way, how many are
we? 19, 20, 21? Do you even know? In
the last five years, how many of these
children have you spoken to? How
many grandchildren do you have and
when did you last see each of them?
As President you would listen to advice
of people that never finished high
school who would say anything to
keep having access to you so as to
make money over your children who
loved you and genuinely wished you
well.
At your first inauguration in 1999, I
and my brothers and sisters told you
we were coming from the US. As is
usual with you, you made no
arrangements for our trip, instead our
mom organized to meet each of us
and provided accommodation. At the
actual swearing-in at Eagle Square,
the others decided to watch it on TV.
Instead I went to the square and I was
pushed and tossed by the crowd.
I managed to get in front of the crowd
where I waved and shouted at you as
you and General Abdulsalam
Abubakar walked past to go back to
the VIP seating area. I saw you mouth
‘my daughter’ to General Abdullahi
who was the one who pulled me out of
the crowd and gave me a seat. As I
looked around I saw Stella and Stella’s
family prominently seated but none of
your children. I am sure General
Abdullahi would remember this
incident and I am eternally grateful to
him.
