For over ten days now the polity has been
suffused with the verbiage of the letter written
by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to
President Goodluck Jonathan. The latter has
been under pressure to respond to the issues
Obasanjo raised in his letter.
And for a while, it seemed the silence from the
presidency implied consent, or that the
President was too dazed by the vitriolic content
of the letter to respond.
But yesterday, the President broke his
worrisome silence, when he called a press
conference and read out a lengthy reply to the
Ota farmer.
To be fair to President Jonathan, he tried to
clear the fog on some of the issues, but not
without throwing some jabs here and there at
the former president.
I captured some, yes, some of the details in the
response of the President. He started like this:
“His Excellency Chief Olusegun Okikiola Matthew
Obasanjo, former President of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria.
You must have wondered if I did not know what
to reply you after you published what has
become your latest act of infamy, in the name
of a letter titled “Before it is Too Late” which you
wrote to me.
Sir, I must confess that your letter took me
unawares. As a respected Statesman, I did not
expect this unbecoming means of
communicating with me, if the essence was not
to play to the gallery.
The other confession I must make is that some
of the issues and accusations you made against
me, were complete news to me. I have long set
up committees to investigate the accusations
and the reports are already coming in.
Before I deal on the specifics of your letter,
permit me to say that, Sir, you must purge
yourself of the overflowing messianic complex
you have always operated in.
Yes, I had said that after God and my parents,
you are the next most important person in my
life.
But that did not mean you are my God or the
provider of my oxygen. When goats are sold, the
owner releases the rope. But you have chosen
to hold on to the rope most tenaciously. That is
the problem.
Indeed, we would have ignored you completely
after your dear daughter, Dr Iyabo Obasanjo-
Bello, helped to put most of the issue in the
right political perspectives in her own letter to
you. But we needed to do this for the records.
I am somewhat disappointed that you are
lamenting my performance in government. His
Excellency, I am sure we would have moved at
a faster pace if the right foundation was laid
while you were in charge.
As for the issue of whether or not I will seek re-
election in 2015, I am bemused that you are
making a huge drama out of this even when you
know I am constitutionally permitted to seek re-
election. I cannot remember the incidents of my
said promise not to seek re-election.
But even if I did sir, am I not entitled to change
of mind on any issue depending on the currency
of information available to me? I do not expect
you to be basing your conclusions, at your level,
on the so-called fantasy of Body language.
And pray, were we not all witnesses of how you
tried to manipulate the National Assembly to
offer you the illegal third term chance? Senator
Ken Nnamani is still alive.
It is pure mischief powered by uncharitable
inclinations to accuse me of “double game’ in
the support of gubernatorial candidates in some
states. I personally participated in the
campaigns of all our candidates. If they lost the
elections, I cannot be blamed for that, as I am
resolved to distance myself from manipulating
electoral outcomes as it used to be in the past…
you know what I mean
You made me look like the prince of corruption
because of the ancient malaise of crude oil
theft. Sir, it did not start with me. I have tried
to combat it. There are many committees and
task forces in place to check the roguery.
Besides, it is even exaggerated under me. Did
you not hear that the garrulous CBN governor,
who raised the false alarm of missing $49.8
Billion has eaten the humble pie by recanting?
But sir, with all sense of modesty, this does not
compare with the degree of sleaze that
characterized the PTDF scam between you and
your former Vice, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. We did
not forget. We have reformed the EFCC to be an
indiscriminate fierce attack dog, unlike when it
was reduced to a weapon against enemies.
As for the crisis in the PDP, we know of
supposed elders who have been fraternizing
with the renegade governors, the reason they
were recalcitrant and irreconciliable. You can
only force a horse to the river, you cannot force
it to drink water. These renegade governors
simply refused to drink water at the bank of
reconciliation.
I am a Knight of the Anglican Church. I have
never plotted to shed blood for any reason. No I
have never. Therefore, the phantom alarm of
training of killers are nothing but a tale from the
mountains. Only the naïve are taken in by them.
God will judge such accusers harshly.
By the Grace of Almighty God, I will finish well
and strong. My good people of Nigeria are
behind me, contrary to what you may wish to
think. I have told the Christian Association of
Nigeria (CAN) and Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) to
ensure that they announce national fasting of
forty days and forty nights to thwart all the
plans of the enemies of Nigeria, no matter who
they are.
That they must declare that no weapon
fashioned against Nigeria, be it from Boko
Haram or whoever, will prosper.
Finally, let me assure you that the
transformation agenda of my government has
been attracting international investors and in no
time, the entire nation will soon become one
large construction and industrial yard. We shall
all be witnesses.
Please accept my best assurances of …”
Just as the President finished reading the letter
to pressmen, his spokesman, Dr Rueben Abati ,
looking agitated with creases on his forehead,
stepped out to co-ordinate the question and
answer session, as over a dozen hands were
already up, desirous to fire follow-up questions
at Mr President.
Abati was just announcing the modality of the
question and answer session, when the loud
blast of a heavy duty truck woke me from my
deep sleep, as my house is by the roadside.
As I sprung up, I was looking for President
Jonathan, asking breathlessly, “where is he,
where is the president?”, and my children began
to ask if I was alright. It was only then I realized
I have been dreaming.

lets get ready to rumble.

Is better go back and sleep

Let them GO nd DIE!!!