Obasanjo’s Unwarranted Attack On President Jonathan Is Odious, Repugnant And Self-Serving

We find the false claims and allegations reportedly made against President

Goodluck Jonathan by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on Saturday in Abeokuta very
odious and repugnant.
As we have had cause to say before, it is most regrettable indeed that a
man like Chief Obasanjo, who should know better, chooses to repeatedly,
wantonly, and maliciously impugn the integrity of a sitting President of
his country for the primary purpose of self-promotion.

It is obvious from Chief Obasanjo’s serial vituperations against President
Jonathan who is doing his best to positively transform Nigeria for the
benefit of all of its people that he has willfully chosen to close his
eyes to the present administration’s good works and intentions. For
reasons best known to him, Chief Obasanjo has set his mind on regime
change by fair or foul means.

Otherwise, it would be completely senseless, irrational and out of place
for Chief Obasanjo, who still claims to belong to the same party as the
President, to accuse President Jonathan of plotting to win the rescheduled
presidential elections by “hook or crook” and planning to plunge the
nation into crisis if he loses the election.

For the record, President Jonathan has no such intention and will continue
to give the greatest possible support to the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) and other relevant federal agencies to ensure
that the rescheduled elections are successfully conducted.

Indeed, it is not President Jonathan who remains faithful to his oath of
office who is trying to plunge Nigeria into crisis, but Chief Obasanjo who
is scheming to plunge the country into chaos in pursuit of a selfish and
highly egocentric agenda.

Chief Obasanjo’s plot with others within and outside the country to thwart
the general elections and foist an unconstitutional Interim National
Government, which he hopes to head on the nation is well known to us, but
by the Grace of God Almighty, his odious plan to return to power through
the back door will fail woefully.

We know very well that it is in pursuit of this nefarious plot that the
former President continues to sow the seeds of discord and crises in the
polity by purporting to remain in the ruling party while openly consorting
with the opposition, endorsing its candidates and predicting victory for
opposition candidates in a manner most unbecoming of a supposed elder
statesman.

Thankfully, the vast majority of Nigerians who are patriotic and
right-thinking cannot be fooled by Chief Obasanjo’s antics.

We urge them to be assured that President Jonathan’s commitment to
democracy in all its ramifications remains constant and that he will never
be party to the use of any unlawful means to remain in office or gain
political advantage over his opponents.

The President stands by his commitment, which he reaffirmed on national
television last Wednesday that on his watch, all elections in Nigeria,
will be free, fair and credible, and that all certified election results
will be respected.

As President Jonathan has also assured the nation, the rescheduling of the
general elections was in the best interest of the nation and was never
driven by any ulterior motive on the part of government as Chief Obasanjo
and others have alleged.
President Jonathan will continue to put his best efforts into giving
Nigeria quality leadership and will not be distracted from his purpose by
unwarranted and needless criticism by persons who ought to know better.

The President also continues to trust in the good judgment of Nigerians
and to believe that in appreciation of his sincere efforts to move the
country forward over the past four years, they will re-elect him for a
second term on March 28, 2015 with a mandate to pursue his agenda for
national transformation to a successful conclusion.

Reuben Abati
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
February 14, 2015