FeaturedHighlight

Obasanjo raises alarm over plot by Buhari to implicate, arrest him on bogus charges

379

[dropcap]F[/dropcap]ormer President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo has accused the Buhari administration of  planning a campaign to arrest him on bogus charges using fake documents and witnesses.

“Since Chief Olusegun Obasanjo declared in his State-of-the-Nation Special Statement on January 23, 2018, the desperation to frustrate, intimidate and blackmail him into abandoning his divine mandate to protect the rights of the people to better life and living continued unabated and has even taken a bizarre dimension,”  said his media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi on Friday.

The statement said the first option to silence him was 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”.

‘Impeccable security sources have alleged Chief Obasanjo’s name is on their Watch List and that the security of his life cannot be guaranteed.

 

“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.

‘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.

‘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.

Obasanjo months ago slammed the Buhari administration, saying the government is increasingly showing itself to be breathtakingly incompetent, and Nigerians must not reinforce failure by re-electing ineffective and incompetent government in 2019.

“The truth is this: When you have an ineffective and incompetent government, we are all victims, he said.

“As I said, stop giving excuses; we met challenges. If there were no challenges, then we wouldn’t need you to come.

“You came in because you know there were challenges and then giving us excuse that you have many challenges, that is why you haven’t achieved results.

“And don’t let anybody deceive you. Those of you who are in business, your business could have been better today if we have a competent and effective and performing government.

 

 

 

 

 

Leave a comment

Related Articles

Power grid failure: Nigeria plunged into darkness again

For the umpteenth time, a system collapse hit Nigeria’s national grid on...

Over 2,500 Erosion Sites, Rising Unemployment Plague South East – SEDC MD

Mr. Mark Okoye, the Managing Director/CEO of the South-East Development Commission (SEDC),...

EU, Germany Unveil Joint Initiative to Enhance Nigeria’s Renewable Energy Capacity

The European Union (EU) and Germany have launched a country window initiative...

FG Targets Lower Food Costs with Increased Investments in Agricultural Sector

The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment toward lowering the cost of...

Rotatory Presidency: Power ‘Ii return to North after Tinubu’s potential re-election in 2027 – APC Chair Ganduje

Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC),...

Real Madrid Stun City at the Etihad with Late Comeback in Champions League Play-off

By Samuel Akpan with agency report Manchester City’s hopes of advancing in...

.EFCC arraigns man in court for rejecting Naira as legal currency

For allegedly refusing to accept the Naira as a legal tender and...

House of Reps appoints new deputy chief whip

Following the passing away of former Deputy Chief Whip Adewunmi Onanuga, the...

Alleged N20bln fraud: Court grants Ex-AMCON boss, Kuru N50m bail, adjourns until March 7

Justice Ramon Oshodi of the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja,...

Updated: CBN Increases ATM Fees, Scraps Free Withdrawal Policy

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced a significant revision to...

Africa Must Prioritize Energy Access Amid Global Transition, says Petroleum Minister Lokpobiri

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, has said...

Reps Call for Military Intervention in Borno Communities Amid Boko Haram Resurgence

Following recent Boko Haram attacks that left scores of people killed and...

Flying Eagles Return to Camp for Egypt Friendlies Ahead of U20 AFCON

Ahead of AFCON, Nigeria’s U20 boys and seven-time African champions, the Flying...

Unresolved crisis: PDP suffers another defection as House of Reps member joins APC

Rep. Amos Magaji (Jaba/Zango Kataf Federal Constituency, Kaduna) of the Federal House...

Three weeks after vandalism, TCN begins repairs of Abuja transmission line

Three weeks after vandals damaged an underground transmission line near Millennium Park...

Daniel Bwala opens up on his past vociferous criticism of Tinubu’s govt.

Mr. Daniel Bwala, the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communications,...

Supreme Court ruling fails to resolve Rivers Assembly leadership crisis

Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has clarified that the Supreme Court’s decision...

Nigeria Sees Significant Growth in Non-Oil Exports, Reaching $5.45 Billion in 2024

Nigeria’s non-oil exports have seen a significant boost, reaching $5.45 billion in...

Ogun plans large-scale ranching project to boost meat production

Ogun Gov. Dapo Abiodun, has unveiled plans to set up ranching facilities,...

Nigeria’s business sector sees uptick in January, indicating economic recovery

Nigerian businesses kicked off in the new year on a positive note,...