Politics
Obasanjo Morally Squalid, Attacks Leaders Out Of Frustration – Garba Shehu
Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media & Publicity, has described former President Olusegun Obasanjo as a morally squalid individual who attacks leaders out of frustration.
In a letter, Mr. Obasanjo claimed that Mr. Buhari had dragged the country below its 1999 status.
Reacting, Mr. Shehu in a statement on Monday, said Mr. Obasanjo is so well known to all that no one needs to describe who he is.
His statement reads: “former President Obasanjo is so well known to all that no one needs to describe who he is.
“But, four things we will like to say:
“One is that he will not stop attacking President Muhammadu Buhari because the former President won’t stop being jealous of anyone who beats him to a new record in the nation’s development process.
“President Buhari is ahead of Chief Obasanjo in all fields of national development and to do that is cardinal sin to Obasanjo whose hallucinations tell him that he is the best ever to lead Nigeria and there will never be another one better than him.
“President Buhari just completed the world class edifice that is the Second Niger Bridge after three decades of failed promises. It is now awaiting commissioning.
“Obasanjo laid the sod for the bridge in his first term as elected President and work never started.
“When he sought re-election for his second term in office, he returned to the site to turn the sod for the bridge the second time. When the Obi of Onitsha, forthright and scholarly, reminded him that he had done this in the past, Obasanjo told the foremost Southeast traditional ruler that he was a liar, in the full presence of the Chiefs and Oracles in his palace.
“Obasanjo lied to the Southeast to get their votes. President Buhari didn’t get their votes but built the bridge because he believed it is the right thing to do.
“Two, President Buhari had been bagging awards and encomiums for trying to do that which the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria says a leader should do: serve one, or a maximum of two terms and go.
“President Buhari has been stating and restating that he will supervise a better election than the one that brought him to the office and to leave as and when due.
“Having tried tenure elongation and failed, Obasanjo’s fictitious mind must be telling him that he is the one under attack.
“But he is not on President Buhari’s radar because experience has shown, especially lately in West Africa where there have been at least three successful coups and many other failed attempts, that third term or tenure elongation is a recipe for political instability.
“Furthermore, the totality of African leaders appointed President Buhari the Anti-Corruption Champion of the continent.
“You can’t be an anti-corruption champion if “you meddled and bent the rules,” carrying the putrid responsibility of what happened to national assets in the name of privatization as documented by the Nigerian Senate in 2011.
“As an insight, the Aluminum Smelter Company of Nigeria, ALSCON, which was set up with $3.2 billion, was sold to a Russian firm, Russal, for a paltry $130million. Delta Steel, which was set up in 2005, at a cost of $1.5billion, was sold to Global Infrastructure for just $30million.
“ALSCON got back $120million for the dredging of the Imo River, which was never carried out.
“Three, which is linked to the one above is the growing profile of President Buhari as the Champion of Democracy not only at home and in the West African subregion but the African continent as whole.
“As President, Obasanjo destabilized internal democracy by orchestrating impeachment after impeachment of governors who were not compliant with his highly imperial administration.
“As we said sometime back, Mr. Obasanjo’s tenure, 1999-2007, represented the dark days of Nigeria’s democracy due to a slew of assaults on the constitution.
“The former president deployed federal machinery to remove governors Joshua Dariye, Rashidi Ladoja, Peter Obi, Chris Ngige and Ayo Fayose from office. They were the then governors of Plateau, Oyo, Anambra, Anambra and Ekiti, respectively, unjustly removed using the police and secret service under his control.
“Under him, a five-man legislature met at 6:00 am and “impeached” Governor Dariye in Plateau; 18 members out of 32 removed Governor Ladoja of Oyo from office; in Anambra, APGA’s Governor Obi was equally impeached at 5:00 a.m. by members who did not meet the two-thirds required by the constitution.
“Lawmaking powers of the Rivers State legislature were transferred to the federal parliament to punish Governor Amaechi for shifting his political alliance.
“Moreover, he damned the Supreme Court and unlawfully held back Lagos State revenues due from federal sources on account of his pettiness against Governor Bola Tinubu.
“On the other hand, in Washington a few weeks ago, the US President Joe Biden at a meeting with African Heads of States and Government described President Buhari as a champion of democracy and role model for the leaders of African states.
“Clearly, Obasanjo has become even more jealous by adopting a vengeful attitude.
“Four, to say that “frying pan to fire” is the situation in Nigeria at this time should be read to mean a personal experience to him and we know what that means.
” “Hell” for Obasanjo is when a President, any President that comes after him refuses to be his own puppet, to do as he wishes on all matters and at all times.
“He then keeps attacking out of frustration.
“Obasanjo’s vengeful attitude towards President Buhari is the height of selfishness and little short of moral squalor.”
Mr. Obasanjo, recently endorsed the Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, while ignoring the Presidential Candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu despite being from the same region.
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has claimed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would emerge victorious against former Vice President Atiku Abubakar if the 2027 presidential election is determined by electoral manipulation.
Lawal made the statement during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, where he weighed in on the growing political permutations ahead of the next general election.
According to him, no politician in Nigeria currently possesses the capacity to outmaneuver Tinubu if election rigging becomes the deciding factor in the race for Aso Rock.
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“If the parameter for winning elections in Nigeria is rigging, nobody can face Bola Tinubu in this country. If Atiku’s strength is in manipulating results, I wish him luck; he will meet the master rigger in front,” Lawal said.
The former SGF further argued that President Tinubu would record a landslide victory if the election outcome were determined by such means, describing the president as a formidable political strategist.
Lawal also took a swipe at Atiku Abubakar, distancing himself from the former vice president’s political ambition and insisting that he would not support his bid for the presidency.
He stated that after studying Atiku’s political history and leadership record, he believes an Atiku administration would perform worse than the current government led by Tinubu.
“I have studied his antecedents and realised that his presidency will be worse than Bola Tinubu’s,” he said.
The former SGF also criticised Atiku for what he described as insufficient engagement with Nigeria’s worsening security situation, including recurring cases of kidnapping and violent attacks in different parts of the country.
Despite his criticism of both Tinubu and Atiku, Lawal maintained that he is yet to endorse any presidential aspirant ahead of the 2027 election.
“I am supporting nobody. I don’t want to be part of anything for now,” he stated.
His comments come shortly after his resignation from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), where he accused the party of manipulating its recent presidential primary in favour of Atiku.
Lawal alleged that results from the exercise were altered to produce a predetermined outcome, claiming that candidates who won in some areas were replaced by individuals loyal to the former vice president.
He said the alleged irregularities influenced his decision to leave the party, which he described as a “rigging machine” ahead of the 2027 elections.
However, the ADC leadership has denied the allegations, insisting that the primary election was conducted transparently and reflected the wishes of party members.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has launched a fresh attack on opposition political parties, accusing them of deceiving Nigerians and failing to live up to the democratic standards they claim to represent.
Speaking during his monthly media briefing in Abuja on Monday, Wike said recent controversies surrounding the primaries of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) have exposed what he described as the hypocrisy and lack of credibility within the opposition camp.
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According to the former Rivers State governor, parties that have consistently presented themselves as the “new face of democracy” and a credible alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are now grappling with the same internal crises they often criticize in other political parties.
“You can’t fool Nigerians anymore,” Wike declared, insisting that the opposition’s claims of being different from the established political parties have been undermined by disputes and protests that trailed their internal elections.
He questioned the ability of the parties to provide effective leadership if they could not successfully conduct transparent and peaceful primaries.
Wike specifically pointed to complaints raised by some presidential aspirants during the parties’ congresses, arguing that the allegations of irregularities and unfair practices showed that the opposition was not immune to the political shortcomings it frequently condemns.
The FCT minister said Nigerians are increasingly becoming aware of what he called inconsistencies in the opposition’s messaging, stressing that parties cannot market themselves as political “messiahs” while struggling with internal democratic processes.
He further argued that the developments reinforce the relevance of older political parties that have spent years navigating Nigeria’s political landscape.
While noting that both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the APC have faced criticism in the past, Wike maintained that experience remains an important factor in sustaining democratic institutions and managing political competition.
The minister’s remarks come amid heightened political activities and realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections, with opposition parties seeking to position themselves as strong contenders against the ruling APC.
A fresh twist has emerged within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 general elections, as a faction of the party has rejected the camp backing former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and instead unveiled businessman and academic, Prof. Chris Uba, as its presidential candidate.
The development comes days after another wing of the party reportedly produced Atiku as its presidential flagbearer following a nationwide primary election, deepening the leadership and candidate dispute within the ADC.
SEE ALSO: Atiku Floors Amaechi, Hayatu-Deen to Clinch ADC 2027 Presidential Ticket
Speaking during the formal presentation of candidates in Abuja on Sunday, the faction’s National Chairman, Bala Gombe, said the presidential ticket was zoned to Southern Nigeria in line with the principles of equity, fairness, inclusiveness, and federal character.
According to Gombe, three aspirants initially purchased the party’s Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms to contest for the presidential ticket.
They included Dr. Bashir Sani, Prince Williams Charles, and Prof. Chris Uba.
He explained that the party adopted the consensus option provided under the Electoral Act, leading to the emergence of Uba as the sole presidential candidate after the withdrawal of the other aspirants.
Gombe stated that the decision was taken in the interest of party unity and in compliance with relevant provisions of the Electoral Act, which recognize consensus as a lawful method of candidate selection.
He further announced the unveiling of 29 governorship candidates across the six geopolitical zones, saying they emerged through the party’s internal democratic processes.
Among those presented were Muhammad Usman Shuwa (Adamawa), Idris Adamu Yanoko (Kano), Shamsudin Muhammad (Kaduna), Ibrahim Al-Ameen Gumi (Zamfara), Babagana Mala (Borno), Musliu Babadele (Lagos), Rukayya Salami (Osun), Gbenga Gbenga (Oyo), Gada Suswan (Benue), Dijatu Abdul Salam (Nasarawa), and Christopher Benjo (Delta), among others.
The faction maintained that it had successfully concluded its governorship, National Assembly, and State House of Assembly primaries nationwide in accordance with the Constitution, the Electoral Act, and the party’s electoral guidelines.
The latest development signals growing internal divisions within the ADC as political parties intensify preparations, coalition talks, and strategic realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Founded in 2005, the ADC has continued to position itself as an alternative political platform while seeking to strengthen its structures and expand its influence across Nigeria.
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