Let's take a look at three years ago, when the ex president OBASANJO was gearing up in support of BUHARI condemning the ruling power GOOD LUCK.
It’s perhaps a case of the chicken coming home to roost. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo had, in his latest book, “My Watch,” noted that he would prefer to be jailed by a President Muhammadu Buhari than allow former President Goodluck Jonathan to destroy Nigeria. It would seem, from developing events, that his wish is about to come to pass.
With Obasanjo’s support for Buhari in the lead up to the presidential election of 2015, and the support of many other Nigerians, Buhari was eventually able to “prevent” Jonathan from destroying Nigeria, and while the good relationship between the duo lasted, both had only kind words for each other and the going was good.
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But since the former president withdrew his endorsement of the incumbent, and instead became his staunch critic, things have gone sour and he has since become a marked man, a potential candidate for first ex-president to go to jail.
In the list of those to tame by the Buhari government – those considered threats to his second term bid as allegedly drawn by his strategists said to be led by former Secretary to Government, Babagana Kingibe – Obasanjo, along with Senate President, Bukola Saraki; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu among others, are tops.
Saraki is already facing the music, and from indications, Obasanjo is perhaps, next.
The former president has gotten a wind of it. On Friday last week, he caused a stir when he alleged that the Buhari government was planning to hound him to jail on trumped up allegations. And that his safety could no longer be guaranteed.
In a long statement issued by his media aide Kehinde Akinyemi in Abeokuta, Obasanjo said he got the hint through impeccable security sources and that forces were after him.
“Impeccable security sources have alleged Chief Obasanjo’s name is on their Watch List and that the security of his life cannot be guaranteed,” the statement read.
“According to these informants, many of who are in the top echelon of the Nation’s security management and close to the corridors of power, the operatives are daily perfecting how to curtail the personal liberties of the former President and hang a crime on him.
“Ordinarily, we would not have dignified these reports with a response but for the fact that many of these informants are not known for flippant and frivolous talks. Secondly, this Government has demonstrably exhibited apathy, and in some cases, encouraged by its conduct, daily loss of lives and property in many States of the country, the office cannot be indifferent.
“We are currently in a nation where the Number Three citizen is currently being harangued and the Number Four citizen is facing similar threat within the same Government they serve. There is a groundswell of our nationals that live in fear that they could be hounded, harassed, maimed or even killed as the battle for 2019 takes this worrisome dimension.
“For Chief Obasanjo, this is a joke carried too far and being someone who do not act on unofficial information, he had cautioned all informants and adopted a wait-and-see attitude to the bestial propositions allegedly being contemplated to cow, cage and embarrass him.
“The content of the alleged beastly designs, it was learnt are two-fold for now. One, to seize his International Passport and clamp him into detention indefinitely, in order to prevent him from further expressing angst on the pervasive mediocrity in the quality of governance, economic management and in the protection of lives and property by the Government. But, since that could expose the Government to a swath of international condemnation, embarrassment and outrage, it is said that another plot being hatched is to cause the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to re-open investigation into the activities of Chief Obasanjo’s administration using false witnesses and documents. This will be a re-enactment of the Abacha era in which Chief Obasanjo was one of the principal victims.
“The same EFCC that had conducted a clinical investigation on the activities of Obasanjo in and out of Government, it was said, would now be made to stand down the existing report that gave Chief Obasanjo a clean bill of health on the probes are now to get him indicted, fair or foul for possible prosecution and persecution like it is being done to real and perceived opponents, enemies and critics of this Government. Dissent is a fundamental principle on which liberal democracy is predicated. A true democrat must be ready to live with and accommodate dissent and opposition.
“While it is regrettable how the Government has sunk in its shameless desperation to cow opposition, a resort to blackmail, despotism and Gestapo-tactics being employed by the goons of this Government would not hold water. And no government ever remains in power forever.
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“For the record, Chief Obasanjo reiterates his readiness to face probe again after that of the House of Representatives, the Senate, the ICPC, and the EFCC, but before an independent, objective and credible panel of enquiry to account for his stewardship in Government and beyond. Chief Obasanjo reiterates that he has taken a principled position to ensure that the ship of the Nigerian State does not capsize and he remains steadfast in his resolve to turn the tide of maladministration, poor economic management and rudderless governance model that has tore Nigerians apart on account of religion and ethnicity which is a great threat to our democracy.
“We would like the Government and its supporters to understand that no amount of campaign of calumny, no matter how well contrived, orchestrated or marketed would deter Chief Obasanjo from calling a spade by its name. Chief Obasanjo is a patriot whose sole agenda is to ensure that the country’s unity, progress and democracy are not negotiated on the altar of incompetence and provincialism and mediocrity.
“It is important to point out that Chief Obasanjo is one former President and Head of State who has engaged the current administration privately and in a bilateral manner on several issues of direct interest to the government and other matters of national concern. That channel of private engagement remains open and continues. However, should there be the need for public engagement, the right to free speech will always be exercised and jealously guarded, again in the best interest of Nigeria and the government,” it concluded.
Obasanjo’s allegation hardly comes as a surprise. He had of late become one of the staunchest critics of the Buhari led APC Federal Government, accusing it of misgoverning the country, and has been mobilising opposition to topple the president in 2019.
His most recent scatting attack of the administration had come while briefing journalists at his presidential library in Abeokuta, Ogun State on Thursday May 10, wherein he accused the government of being a failure.
“The APC, as a political party, is still gloating and revelling in its unrepentant misgovernance of Nigeria and taking Nigerians for fools,” Obasanjo had said.
“There is neither remorse nor appreciation of what they are doing wrong. It is all arrant arrogance and insult upon injury for Nigerians.
“Whatever the leadership may personally claim, most Nigerians know that they are poorer today than when the APC came in and Nigeria is more impoverished with our foreign loan jumping from $3.6bn to over $18bn to be paid by the present and future generations of Nigerians.
“The country is more divided than ever before because the leadership is playing the ethnic and religious game which is very unfortunate. And the country is more insecure and unsafe for everybody. It is a political party with two classes of membership.”
Going by events of the last three years, many Nigerians would agree with Obasanjo. But for an administration that has consistently demonstrated intolerance of opposition, it was certain that Obasanjo was heading for trouble.
This move to put the former president behind bars, sources close to Aso Rock, disclosed to Business Hallmark, had since been in motion. It had the source said, informed the convening of a conference of heads of anti corruption agencies of Commonwealth Africa nations in May. At the event, the guest speaker, Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka was mandated to advocate for the jailing of former presidents, and according to him, Obasanjo was the primary target.
It would be recalled that Soyinka had, in his speech, insisted that the anti-graft war of the Buhari administration would not be said to have been won until former Nigerian presidents guilty of corruption are jailed by the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The Nobel Laureate who later took a tour of the new N24billion EFCC office, had subsequently inquired from the agency’s chairman, Ibrahim Magu, where the presidential wing of the EFCC detention centre was located.
“I had asked for the presidential wing of the cells out of his human rights concerns to ensure such personalities are well treated while in detention,” Soyinka said.
“Until we make some of our leaders walk through those doors (of the EFCC new office) the fight against corruption will not be won,” he added.
Magu had responded by assuring him that the anti graft agency was an egalitarian organisation that treats peoples equally.
“I have little doubt that Obasanjo will be made to face the music over his opposition to Buhari,” the source who did not consent to having his name in print said.
“Plan to put him is already being put in place. Part of it is the conference of heads of anti corruption agencies held in Abuja. The idea is to validate his trial, and who else is better qualified to make a case for that than Soyinka?”
“When they call for former presidents to be jailed, I’m sure you know they are not talking about (Goodluck) Jonathan who is no threat to anybody, or (Shehu) Shagari. It’s of course, Obasanjo.”
Buhari first gave the hint of his discomfort with Obasanjo a few days ago when he accused the former president of squandering $16billion on power to no avail.
“You know the rail was killed and one of the former heads of state between that time was bragging that he spent more than $16 billion, not naira on power. Where is the power?” the President said while addressing members of his support organisation led by the Comptroller of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali, rtd.
“Where is the power? And now, we have to pay the debt. This year and last year’s budgets that I took to the National Assembly were the highest in capital projects – more than N1.3 trillion.”
Obasanjo had, in a swift response, accused Buhari of making his allegation based on ignorance, clarifying in a statement issued on his behalf by Akinyemi, that he had been cleared of any wrongdoing by the National Assembly and a report of the EFCC and referred Buhari to his book, “My Watch” where he said he offered explanations on the matter.
But perhaps unknown to Obasanjo until now, while he was matching Buhari toe to toe, the president had other ideas – to whip up support for himself and go after him.
Last week when Buhari announced June 12 as new date for the celebration of Democracy Day in honour of the late Chief MKO Abiola who Obasanjo holds in contempt despite benefiting from his misfortune, many people were able to see an attempt to secure South West support ahead of 2019, but few saw an attempt to get at Obasanjo.
“Declaring June 12 Democracy Day is just to humiliate shameless Obasanjo,” noted Akogun (Chief) Tola Adeniyi, veteran columnist and author. “If Buhari was sincere let him get Electoral body to declare Abiola duly elected and pay all his entitlements to date to his family. Anything short of that is bullshit.”
Chief Adeniyi emphasised he has no sympathy for Obasanjo however, that as far as he was concerned, he Obasanjo, is not a saint.
Obasanjo’s outcry has, nonetheless, divided opinions. While some say he should go and clear his name if he has nothing to hide, others assert that a possible attempt to hound him to jail would have dire consequences.
“The country itself has not operated within the confines of rule of law and Obasanjo is as guilty in this aspect as Buhari. Both have the same philosophy,” said Aremo Oladotun Hassan, president, Yoruba Council of Youths Worldwide (YCYW).
“If there is any need for Obasanjo to be invited legally for a crime, he should be invited without people making noise about it. There is no immunity covering him.
“If he doesn’t have anything to hide, he should be ready to answer for himself. He had vowed before that he was ready to face the consequences of his own actions, that he is ready to go to court to defend himself.
He is the one that challenged the government to take him to court if they have anything against him. So, if they have decided to take him to court, he should go and defend himself.”
The PDP in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, asserted that the former president’s claim validates its allegation about the Buhari government framing perceived opponents.
“The alarm by Chief Obasanjo has further shown that the PDP has not been crying wolf regarding the plots by the APC led federal government to frame, arrest, detain and arraign political opponents of the APC, including regular Nigerians, for holding or canvassing opinions that are divergent to the interest of those in power,” the party said.
“We invite Nigerians to note the travails faced by perceived opponents of Buhari Presidency including Senate President Bukola Saraki, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, Senators Shehu Sani and Dino Melaye, who had raised similar alarms in the past.
“The PDP urges Nigerians to note how the APC-controlled security forces, on Wednesday, arrested and detained opposition members in Ogun state, including a member of the House of Assembly, Hon. Adebiyi Adeleye, who were going about their legitimate activities, only to tag them as cultists,” the statement read, adding that “no amount of coercion, intimidation and illegal arrests will alter the determination of Nigerians to vote out the APC in the 2019 general elections.”
In his own remarks, former vice president, Atiku Abubakar said he was disturbed at the turn of events in the country and warned President Buhari to call his security agencies to order.
“I am disturbed by this turn of events in our dear country considering the huge price that was paid for us to have democracy.
“I wish to advice that government and its agents should retrace their steps to avoid aggravating the already over heated polity. The alert by President Obasanjo is coming against the backdrop of earlier alerts by some leaders, especially those of the opposition of deliberate and orchestrated attempt to intimidate and frame them up.
“I wish to state without equivocation that President Obasanjo is a historical figure in Nigeria’s democracy and that the primary purpose of government is to provide security of lives and property of all citizens and residents irrespective of their status, political affiliation, religious inclination and ethnic leanings.
“Our nation has lost so much precious lives and property that we can no longer afford to travel that road again. I wish to appeal to President Buhari to call the security agencies to order in order to douse the tension in the country.
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