Former President Olusegun Obasanjo should, as an elder statesman, do and say things that will help build a strong and united nation, rather than beating drums of war or inciting the populace against the government.
The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) said Chief Obasanjo’s comment at the first memorial lecture of Dr Frederick Fasehun, the founder of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), was not the kind of things one would expect from a man who had been at the helm of affairs of this nation on two different occasions.
The group noted that Obasanjo’s comments during the lecture amounted to a call for anarchy and must be condemned.
In a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, BMO stated that the comments made by the former President, were nothing short of hypocritical and inciting, coming from a man who had the opportunity to make some of the changes he was proposing but failed to do so.
“Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo spoke on the issue of restructuring and asked the Executive and Legislative institutions to work towards this. He refused to acknowledge that this matter is currently before the National Assembly of which a Restructuring Committee chaired by the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, was inaugurated only recently.
“But it has always been the practiced style of Obasanjo to play the ostrich, especially when it involves matters related to the President Muhammadu Buhari administration. He consciously takes effort not to see anything positive in the Buhari led administration.
“The most pretentious, and in fact where Obasanjo’s hackneyed hypocrisy came to play, was when he did not admit his failures as President when he held the reins of power.
“Obasanjo as President had the opportunity to work with the National Assembly to bring about the reforms he is suggesting today; but rather than do this, he chose to manipulate the National Assembly at every point for his selfish ambitions, and whenever they did not toe his line he used all manners of subterfuge, including, as alleged by many, bribing officials to sack the leadership of the National Assembly.
“This same Obasanjo, when he had an opportunity to work with the National Assembly to change Nigeria for the better, rather sought tenure elongation – a sinister move that fell flat and failed.”
BMO said Nigeria is a peaceful state and this may not be what Obasanjo wants; “hence his irresponsible remarks subtly calling on self-determination groups to take up arms against the state. Such calls will not be tolerated by peace-loving Nigerians.
“Obasanjo pretended to mean well when he claimed that he would die for the unity of Nigeria. But in another breath, he urged that elements seeking self-determination take up arms against the Nigerian state.
“We believe that the former President was only using the restructuring conversation to sneak in his sinister agenda and find himself relevant among Nigerians.”
BMO then asked the former President to caution himself and refrain from conducting himself like a war-monger, subtly preaching violence from place to place.
