Activists, lawyers and others
have likened former President
Olusegun Obasanjo’s letter
bombing President Goodluck
Jonathan as that of a pot calling
kettle black, saying the former
leader is guilty of the same
offence.
Obasanjo had in an 18-page
letter accused Jonathan of
plunging the nation into
darkness.
He accused President Jonathan,
among others, of promoting
corruption, ethnicity; having a
killer squad; tackling Boko
Haram with kid gloves and
aspiring for a second term in
office when he said he will only
run for a single term.
Reacting to Obasanjo’s letter,
National Publicity Secretary,
Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin,
said Obasanjo was as guilty as
Jonathan as he did worst things
than President Jonathan when
he was in power.
“Nigerians should be weary of
Obasanjo whenever he said
something; it is either he is
trying to settle scores, even
though Jonathan is facing
challenges,” he said.
Odumakin urged Nigerians not
to allow Obasanjo to deceive
them with his frank talks as
whatever he did “is self-serving
but that does not mean
Jonathan should not address
corruption.”
Convener, Coalition Against
Corrupt Leaders, CACOL,
Comrade Debo Adeniran said
Obasanjo’s letter is like that of a
pot calling kettle black.
“It is unfortunate that it is now
that Obasanjo sees the fight
against corruption as waning. In
his days, he frustrated the fight
against corruption.
“The ICPC under Obasanjo was
underfunded. The EFCC under
him was used to suppress the
voice of political enemies.
Obasanjo came to power with
less than N20,000 and left
power as a multi-billionaire,” he
said.
According to him, “Obasanjo
has no moral right to criticise
Jonathan even though things
are bad with this government.
He should keep quiet and allow
people with integrity to talk.”
A member of the House of
Representatives, Lanre Odubote
said Obasanjo is not different
from Jonathan as the former
president promoted the culture
of lawlessness and impunity.
“They are birds of the same
feather. He is only talking now
because he has
misunderstanding with the
president but this is good for
our democracy,” he stated.
Activist, Bamidele Aturu
described Obasanjo’s letter to
Jonathan as damning, saying
what the former president had
revealed was what Nigerians
already knew.
“The letter shows there is a big
crisis now and it is time for
Nigerians to act to change this
government. This is not a
matter of pot calling kettle
black, they are all black. What
they are saying is that they
cannot deliver.
“Obasanjo made valid points in
his letter to Jonathan. These
people are incapable of
governing this nation. Our
president is now dishonourable,
corruption is high and it is time
to purge the system,” he said.

Prof. Lakin Akintola, Director,
Muslim Rights Concern said
Obasanjo’s letter to Jonathan
was a little belated.
“Jonathan is highly disturbing
and has contradictory
character. He made promises
and will not fulfil and it is better
they call him to order.
“He renerged on agreement to
run for only one term. Jonathan
is misleading the PDP. For five
governors to defect from a
party, that has never happened.
2015 may not be what it should
be,” he stated.
A civil society activist, Biodun
Sowunmi, said the letter
showed that it had reached the
point where people within the
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,
have become frustrated about
the style of the President they
installed in the country.
“With the unprecendented level
of corruption, even Obasanjo, a
sinner, knows that a greater
sinner is in power. Obasanjo is
worried that Jonathan is
bleeding the country to death.
“The government has suddenly
become inept and rudderless
and this should make people
like Obasanjo worried even
though he shares from the
blame of forcing Jonathan on
us,” he said.
The content of the letter,
according to him, is a summary
of the frustrations among
Nigerians conveyed by just one
person.
A member of the Lagos State
House of Assembly, Ipoola
Omisore, said Obasanjo only
expressed his frustrations in the
letter to Jonathan.
“Obasanjo has no moral right to
condemn Jonathan. Jonathan
was a docile Deputy Governor
in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, when
Obasanjo used him to displace
the then Governor Dipreye
Alamieyeseigha and also used
him to defeat Atiku by pairing
him with the late Umaru
Yar’Adua against the PDP’s
choice of Donald Duke and
Peter Odili.
“You remember this same
Obasanjo backed Shagari
against Obafemi Awolowo. He
has been giving us presidents
we do not want and the result is
what Nigeria has become
today,” he said.
Omisore further stressed that
every sin he accused Jonathan
of committing, he also
committed during his era as
President.
“During Obasanjo’s time, he
never forgave anybody, he
played god, he wanted third
term, he seized federal
allocation to Lagos, he used the
Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC, against his
perceived enemies and many
more,” Omisore said, adding
that he did what he did because
he witnessed the recent
encomiums poured on late
Nelson Mandela of South
Africa.
“If Nigeria should collapse
today, Obasanjo should be
blamed. I just pray he quit
politics quickly and repent so
that he does not pay for his
sins,” Omisore said.
Another lawmaker, Olumuyiwa
Jimoh, said the PDP can no
longer hide the fact that there
are serious crises within the
party threatening to devour it.
NBA Chairman, Ikeja Branch,
Barr. Onyekachi Ubani, in his
own comment stated: “
Obasanjo cannot be exonerated
from the problem at hand
because he was the person that
forced President Goodluck
Jonathan on Nigerians. But he
must be commended for coming
out with this at this time. The
allegations and level of
corruption contained in that
letter are what people like us
already knew. Every Nigerian
knows that this government is
monumentally corrupt, but for
someone like Obasanjo who is a
member of the same political
party with the president to
come into the open with this
allegation clearly justifies what
everybody has always known. I
must say that the allegations he
made are very grievous and
must not be swept aside. The
information in the letter must
be used to nip the destruction of
this country in the bud.”
—Kazeem Ugbodaga