Former
President Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday said he would not reply
President Goodluck Jonathan’s December 20 letter accusing him of
threatening national security.
Obasanjo, who addressed a news
conference through his media aide, Tunde Oladunjoye,at his Hilltop
Mansion in Abeokuta, Ogun State, said in spite of requests by Nigerian
and international media for him to reply the President, he would
still maintain his “serenity.”
But he made it clear that he had
through his December 2,2013 letter to Jonathan, done his duty to the
President, the Peoples Democratic Party and the nation, as a former
President and an elder statesman.
Obasanjo, had in his 18-page
letter titled “Before it is too late,” accused the President, among
other things, of placing 1,000 Nigerians on a watch list and training
snipers to assassinate his political opponents.
He had added that Jonathan’s actions were capable of derailing the country’s democracy.
But the President replied Obasanjo on Sunday, claiming that his letter was full of lies against him and his administration.
In
a tone indicating that he was highly pained by the former President’s
letter, Jonathan wrote, “The allegation of training snipers to
assassinate political opponents is particularly incomprehensible to me.
Since I started my political career as a Deputy Governor, I have never
been associated with any form of political violence.
“Regarding
the over 1,000 people you said are on a political watch list, I urge
you to kindly tell Nigerians who they are and what agencies of
government are ‘watching’ them.
“Your allegation that I am using
security operatives to harass people is also baseless. Nigerians are
waiting for your proof. That was an accusation made against previous
administrations, including yours, but it is certainly not my style and
will never be. Again, if you insist on the spurious claim that some of
your relatives and friends are being harassed, I urge you to name them
and tell Nigerians what agencies of my administration are harassing
them.”
He went on to add that the letter by Obasanjo also suggested to him that landmines had been laid for him.
But
Obasanjo told journalists in a two-page statement read by Oladunjoye ,
a former deputy governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party
in Ogun State, that he had resolved not to make further comments on
either his letter or Jonathan’s.
Immediately after reading the
statement titled, ‘Re: Before It Is Too Late,’ he rose from his seat,
declining to entertain questions from the journalists.
The
statement reads,” Since the publication of the letter written by the
President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, which was in
response to the letter earlier written by former President,
Commander-in-Chief, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR; we have received
several enquiries from local and international media asking to know
Chief Obasanjo’s reaction to Mr. President’s response.
“One,
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR, acknowleges Mr. President’s
letter/response. However, Baba, as he already indicated in his December
2, 2013 letter does not wish to make further comments beyond the
contents of his last letter to Mr. President or react to the said
letter/response from Dr. Jonathan. Let me quote from page 14, paragraph
two of Chief Obasanjo’s letter to Mr. President dated December 2, 2013
and titled Before It is Too Late: “I will maintain my serenity, because
by this letter, I have done my duty to you as I have always done, to
your government, to the PDP, and to our country, Nigeria.
“Two, let me reiterate here, that Chief Obasanjo has tremendous
respect for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria.”
Oladunjoye added that Obasanjo “sincerely appreciates
all of you, my cherished colleagues; gentlemen and women of the media
profession, who have been very upright, ethical and robust on the
subject matter.”
Obasanjo’s claim that Jonathan was playing
politics with the Africa Development Bank and World Bank Rivers State
water project in Rivers State was however supported by Governor
Rotimi Amaechi during a rally by the All Progressives Congress at the
Liberation Stadium in Port Harcourt.
“If they tell us that it is
the ADB, tell them I said it is both ADB and the World Bank. We have
completed everything we need to complete. They don’t want to sign, they
want you and I to die of hunger,” Amaechi told APC supporters.
He
added, “I will not lie, I drink table water. So the best I can do for
you and the best your President can do for you is to ask the World Bank
about the water project.
“All those that say they want
South-South President, I agree, you want South-South President. If a
South-South President refuses to give you water, you can still sweep him
out. Let him tell us what project he has done for us.”
Meanwhile,
two Northern groups – the Arewa Consultative Forum and the Coalition
of Northern Politicians, Academics, Professionals and Businessmen –
have differed on Jonathan’s reply to Obasanjo’s letter.
While
the ACF said Jonathan’s reply had given Nigerians an opportunity to
judge, the CNPAPB said it was a poor attempt to respond to ‘very
serious’ issues raised by a former President of the country.
The
ACF spokesman, Mr. Anthony Sani, in an interview with one of our
correspondents, however expressed reservations about the open nature
of the altercations between the two Nigerian leaders.
Sani
said, “I have read both letters and wish to state that such open
altercations be avoided in favour of confidential correspondence,
especially when regard is paid to their personal and political
relationships which have profound effect on the pace of development of
the Nigerian project.
“But since the genie has been let out of
the bottle, it is good that Mr. President has replied the letter. It is
now left for Nigerians to pass their judgment in the larger interest of
Nigeria.”
However, the Convener of the CNPAPB, Dr. Junaid
Mohammed, cautioned Nigerians against taking their eyes off the issues
made public by Obasanjo.
Mohammed said, “If Nigerians decide to
take their eyes off the ball until this issue becomes serious, then we
have ourselves to blame.
“In addition, one of the inadequacies of the latter by the President is that it was unlike Obasanjo’s.
“Jonathan’s
letter is more of a civil service draft- a combination of all sorts of
contributions by half-baked politicians, mediocre civil servants and
journalistic thugs in the service of the President.
“Whether
Obasanjo is liked or not; is beside the point, let Nigerians insist that
issues raised by Obasanjo in his letter be properly addressed.”
The
medical doctor turned politician said the allegation that the Jonathan
administration was training snipers must not be glossed over.
But the Ijaw National Congress said that Obasanjo should open up on the training of snipers.
Lauding the President’s reply, it said that Nigerians could not be deceived by Obasanjo.
The
INC spokesman, Mr. Victor Borubo, also said that Obasanjo was not in a
position to advise Jonathan on whether or not to run for the Presidency
in 2015.
He said, “President Jonathan is trying his best to
develop the country. Obasanjo should not forget that the PDP crisis did
not start with Jonathan. Nigerians cannot be deceived by his letter.
“Obasanjo
is claiming that Jonathan promised to go for only one term as
President, but he (Jonathan) has told his critics to produce evidence
that he made such a promise.”
Also on Monday, a former Governor
of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, appealed to Jonathan
and Obasanjo to close ranks and proffer solutions to the country’s
challenges.
Alamieyeseigha told journalists in Yenagoa that even
though Obasanjo’s motive for making the letter public was unclear, the
issues he raised in it were weighty and should not be ignored.
“The
advice, through a letter to President Jonathan, no doubt is coming from
a respected person who has ruled the country both as a military head of
state and a two-time president of a democratic government,” the News
Agency of Nigeria quoted the former governor as saying.
“We can
concede to him (Obasanjo). He has the in-depth knowledge of governance;
he has seen it all; and so a letter coming from him should not be taken
on the face value,’’ he advised.
Alamieyeseigha noted that
leadership and nation-building were responsibilities that required the
input of various stakeholders.
“President Jonathan is not a super
human, so if the country is drifting in the eyes of objective and
patriotic persons in the country, they can come out and proffer
solutions after identifying the problems.’’ he said.
