Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has a penchant for “storied vindictiveness” and “proverbial vengefulness”, American embassy officials told their superiors in Washington. In a cable titled ‘Bayelsa governor’s arrest strikes fear in the hearts of his peers’ and sent to Washington on October 21, 2005, the consul general at the American embassy in Nigeria at the time, Brian Browne, described how governors of other southern states became jittery following the arrest of the former Bayelsa State governor. Mr. Alamieyeseigha was arrested in London in September 2005 on charges of money laundering. At the time of his arrest, about £1 million cash was found in his London home. He jumped bail in December 2005 but was impeached upon his return to Nigeria and prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for corruption. Two years later, on July 26, 2007, Mr. Alamieyeseigha pleaded guilty to a six-count charge of corruption and was sentenced to two years in prison on each count. The consul general, in his cable, which was sent before the former governor’s escape from the UK, told his superiors that Mr. Alamieyeseigha’s arrest in the UK was not only due to corruption allegations, but also due to his friendship with former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, who was Mr. Obasanjo’s arch enemy at the time.

Governors fear Obasanjo

According to Mr. Browne, “The arrest of Bayelsa State Governor Deipreiye Alamieyeseigha in London has unnerved some of his fellow pro-Atiku southern governors. His interception abroad, where he does not enjoy constitutional immunity, has not only sullied the attraction of frequent travel (one of the governors’ favored pastimes), but is causing many of them to rethink the wisdom of backing a retreating Atiku against a surging Obasanjo.”

The consul general told his superiors that despite the fear being expressed by other pro-Atiku governors, they could not return to Mr. Obasanjo because of his vindictive nature.

“Many of them probably would have turned tail and angled towards Obasanjo but for his storied vindictiveness. They cannot be certain if, in running to him, they would not be running into his hard clutches rather than the accepting embrace of a magnanimous chief executive for his prodigal junior executives,” Mr. Browne said.

Alamieyeseigha’s fate

Mr. Browne who stated that Mr. Alamieyeseigha’s corruption tendencies was not the only cause of his arrest, stated that: “His profligacy is part of his predicament but the Bayelsa executive is no more spendthrift than many of his colleagues.”

Mr. Browne said that because of the fear of being arrested abroad, many of the governors “who seemingly spent as much time abroad as in their state capitals, suddenly have become stationary homebodies.”

“Alamieyeseigha’s arrest has frightened many other southern governors, who have quickly shelved their rather liberal international travel habits,” he stated.

The American consul general predicted that “some governors will be tempted to wash their hands of Atiku and seek rapprochement with Obasanjo.”

He, however, explained why some of them would not return to Mr. Obasanjo, saying, “However, Obasanjo’s vengefulness is proverbial. Surrendering to him is no guarantee of his lenient reaction.”

Contacted yesterday, spokesperson for Mr. Obasanjo, Adeoba Ojekunle, said the Americans were entitled to their views, saying it was wrong to accuse the former president of vindictiveness because a man was caught with stolen money.

A history of vengeance

After the rumored interest of Mr. Abubakar in the 2003 presidential race and the eventual resolution of the matter between the former vice president and Mr. Obasanjo, their relationship never remained the same. Mr. Abubakar’s roles in government were effectively diminished after the 2003 elections and only got worse after he opposed the constitutional amendment which would have allowed Mr. Obasanjo a third term in office. Another person who suffered from Mr. Obasanjo’s unforgiving vengeance was Audu Ogbeh, former chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Mr. Ogbeh, formerly an ally of Mr. Obasanjo who helped him become party chairman in 2001, disagreed openly about Mr. Obasanjo’s roles in the Anambra State imbroglio where Chris Ngige, then governor, had been abducted by police officers led by a former assistant inspector general of police after a forced resignation. The matter led to the loss of property worth billions of naira, including the destruction of a state television station. Mr. Ogbeh, in an open letter written on December 6, 2004, chastised Mr. Obasanjo for his role in the fracas, with the president also openly responding to the party chairman. However, after a reconciliation meeting where Mr. Obasanjo and his host, Mr. Ogbeh, were treated to a meal of pounded yam, the party chairman was asked to resign by the former president.

Daniel may suffer similar fate

Another person who may suffer from Mr. Obasanjo’s vindictiveness is Gbenga Daniel, the incumbent governor of Ogun State. Mr. Daniel and Mr. Obasanjo had been in a running battle over the control of the PDP in Ogun State with each side having its own faction. The decision by INEC to respect a court order and recognize Mr. Obasanjo’s faction however led to the Ogun governor going to beg the former president.

Two days after, Mr. Daniel confirmed his plea to Mr. Obasanjo saying: “I am a true Yoruba son. And in Yoruba land, it doesn’t matter who is right or who is wrong. It is the younger that will beg the older person. So I have begged Baba, and I will continue to beg him.”

WikiCable: The fear of Obasanjo



http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5683545-146/story.csp

These US officials are just writing about their opinions and interpreations of actions. These wikileaks stories suck! Yes, OBJ is vindictive, but did they find money on Alams or not? The way to fight people like OBJ is to be clean, that way, you fight him to finish. Even if you are taken to the cleaners, you come out sparkling!