The Presidency has said that former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s democratic records are not worthy of emulation.
It said the former president turned himself to a demigod in the manner he related with governors.
This is in response to Obasanjo’s condemnation of the emergency rule President Bola Tinubu declared in Rivers State.
According to the Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, the former leader went as far as declaring public holiday to prevent a court from sitting as he allegedly pursued a governor.
Olusegun claimed: “Obasanjo is trying every trick possible to whitewash his bad democratic records by attempting to exonerate himself from blame for how Nigeria’s democracy has fared,” Olusegun said in a post on his verified X handle Wednesday evening.
The former President, while speaking at the Ihedioha Colloquium, condemned Tinubu’s decision to suspend Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and all members of the Rivers Assembly, warning that “democracy is dying in Nigeria.”
“This is the same OBJ that turned himself into a kingmaker and a demigod in his second term in office. Anybody who disagreed with him became prey,” Olusegun alleged.
He pointed to Obasanjo’s role in the controversial 2003 elections, where several opposition Governors from the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD) were allegedly rigged out of office, leaving only Lagos State under then-Governor Bola Tinubu.
He further referenced the infamous abduction of former Anambra Governor Chris Ngige, who was allegedly forced to sign a resignation letter at gunpoint by senior security operatives under Obasanjo’s watch.
“This is the same OBJ who unilaterally declared his Vice President’s seat vacant over a corruption indictment and even declared unnecessary public holidays just to prevent courts from ruling on Atiku’s legal challenge,” Olusegun stated.
“In Obasanjo’s case, his reason for suspending Joshua Dariye and the Plateau legislature was failure to end violence between Muslim and Christian communities.
“He didn’t accuse the assembly of anything, yet he suspended them. Now he’s criticizing Tinubu for suspending those who are the direct actors in the Rivers crisis,” Olusegun argued.
