Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has denied saying he was neutral regarding the presidential candidate in the 2019 election or that he dropped his support for the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
His stated this in denial of a report which quoted him as saying he was neutral and had no preferred candidate in the 2019 presidential election.
Obasanjo, speaking through his aide Kehinde Akinyemi, in a statement in Abeokuta on Sunday, said, he believes that “only a fool will sit on the fence or be neutral when his or her country is being destroyed with incompetence, corruption, lack of focus, insecurity, nepotism, brazen impunity and denial of the obvious. Chief Obasanjo is no such fool nor is he so unwise.”
Titled, “2019 elections and reports of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s neutrality”, the statement said the former president was in Cairo for the maiden edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair where he acted as the Chairman of the Advisory Council when his attention was drawn to a report headlined, “Atiku: Obasanjo shifts political gear to neutral”
The statement read “It is disingenuous, if not malicious, for anyone to suggest that Chief Obasanjo was being neutral when he chose not to use the Owu convention as a platform for political campaign but instead adopted a communal and familial approach in talking to members of his Owu family.
“For the records, and as accurately reported by some media organisations, what the former President said at the convention in Iwo was that while he would not impose any candidates on them, Nigerians should vote for credible candidates who would drive growth and development and make their lives better than it is now.
“Chief Obasanjo’s statement did not suggest his neutrality. In fact, the former President believes that only a fool will sit on the fence or be neutral when his or her country is being destroyed. Chief Obasanjo is no such fool nor is he so unwise.
“The former President reassures Nigerians that he will not sit on the fence when he needs to be out and active for people to know where he stands in the best interest of Nigeria.
“Chief Obasanjo reaffirms that he is on the side of what is best for Nigeria and what we have currently, at the helm of affairs of Nigeria, is not the best for Nigeria, so nobody should fool himself or deceive others about Chief Obasanjo’s position.
“The former President further urges Nigerians, who are victims of what we have for now, to stop just complaining and go out to get beneficial change.
“They must know that such change will not come if they remain inactive, just complaining and complacent and allow themselves to be deceived by sycophants and enemies of Nigeria.
“If they do not become active and get the much-needed change of the current administration to a government that will improve the economy, regain the confidence of investors and generally drive growth, development and economic progress with security, what is coming will be much worse than what Nigerians currently suffer.
“On his part, Chief Obasanjo will remain consistent in speaking out whenever and wherever he sees evil as he is known to do no matter whose ox is gored. Nobody should manipulate Chief Obasanjo’s position, particularly on the 2019 presidential election and what he said in Iwo, to perpetrate or perpetuate continued destruction of our country.”
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It a well known fact that Obasanjo had at different times made his feelings about the President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election bid known. In January of this year, year, he had written the President urging him not run for re-election in 2019. He has also been known to accuse the President of incompetence.
On the other hand, Obasanjois known to have publicly endorsed his former vice after his emergence as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate.
The two had settled their 15-year-old rift following a meeting spearheaded by Rev. Fr. Matthew Kukah, Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church, PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, a chieftain of Afenifere and Ahmed Gumi, an Islamic Cleric.
At the end of that meeting, where Obasanjo openly declared he had forgiven Atiku, he was also quoted to have said: “Let me start by congratulating President-to-be, Atiku Abubakar, on his success at the recent PDP primary and I took note of his gracious remarks in his acceptance speech that it all started here.
