Real reason Obasanjo is not supporting Buhari’s second term bid: ‘Nepotism’, says Oyinlola

The word is defined as “favoritism (as in appointment to a job) based on kinship.” The etymology of nepotism is somewhat more specific than the current meaning, as it comes from the Latin word for “nephew” (nepote). 

The word is not typically among our most searched-for entries; the last time it spiked so dramatically in lookups was in July 23 of 2016, after former Joint House Leader of the defunct Peoples Redemption Party and Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, as well as a member of the Defence Committee in the Second Republic, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, in an interview with the Punch, accused President Muhammadu Buhari’s govt of nepotism. He described the administration as the worst in Nigeria’s history.

Former Governor of Osun state has also revealed that former president Olusegun Obasanjo believed that Buhari was trying to “Northernise” his government and the reason why he withdrew support for the administration.

Speaking with The Sun Newspapers over the week-end, the Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, revealed that former President Olusegun Obasanjo withdrew his support for President Muhammadu Buhari, in the early days of his administration.

 “At the point where at the initial stage, it was found out that he was trying to northernise the government.

“And if you see the appointments, you will agree with me that there is not a bit; a clear demonstration of nepotism in his appointment.

“But he could not say anything because he was at the forefront in the campaign to install Buhari. And when it became difficult for somebody to reach out to the president to chip in one or two words of advice to assist him in governing well, then, what is one waiting for there? It is just a shame that in this country, we seem to gloss over serious issue.

“The wife said the man is not in charge, that there are only two or three people running the government. She said it that millions of people voted for this man, but only two or three; what else does anybody want to say? This is the wife, that is, his better half.”