Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,
Chief Bode George has asked ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo to shut up
and stop playing to the gallery through public criticism of President
Muhammadu Buhari.
The Lagos State chieftain of the PDP, in a recent interview with the Daily Sun Newspaper, berated former President Olusegun Obasanjo for publicly criticizing President Muhammadu Buhari
Below is a related excerpt from the Daily Sun interview:
Many people including former President Obasanjo are saying that
things are getting too tough for Nigerians and that President Buhari
should do something fast about the recession and economic crises facing
the nation, what is your reaction to that?
What people should realize is that Rome was not built in a day. We all
have one role or the other to play in bringing the situation back to
normal.
But to crucify President Muhammadu Buhari I don’t agree. For me, I
believe in praying for leaders. Let’s pray for Buhari that God should
give him the wisdom to pull Nigeria through the present economic crisis.
It is true that many Nigerians, millions are genuinely suffering, the
hardship in the land today is beyond human comprehension, but rather
than condemning Buhari, I will continue to pray for him to succeed.
Although we belong to different political parties, but I don’t want to
talk politics now, let’s talk about the nation and Nigerian interests, I
pray to God that the president should have quick solutions to myriads
of problems facing us today especially problem of poverty, hunger and
biting economic recession. Buhari should assemble a team that will work
with him to get us out of these problems as fast as possible.
Condemning Buhari is not the solution but we should advise and pray for
him. I believe it is too early to condemn Buhari, may be after three
years, we can ask him to present his scorecard. Condemning Buhari is not
the solution but we should advise and pray for him. Moreso, I don’t
believe in the approach adopted by Baba [former President Olusegun
Obasanjo]. Why should Baba go public in his criticism of Buhari?
Obasanjo has unlimited access to the President, even if he asks Buhari
to come and see him at his farm in Ota , I believe Buhari would go there
to see him and there he would have expressed his mind on the nation’s
state of affairs to the President, after all he was Buhari’s former boss
in the military. But for Obasanjo to have gone public to condemn
Buhari’s policy to me is like a betrayal, it amounts to playing to the
gallery.
For those other Nigerians condemning the President openly, it is
understandable, they don’t have direct access to the President, but for
Obasanjo who have unlimited
access to the President to have behaved in that way, it is like playing
to the gallery. I believe he should have adopted a more matured
approach. However , like I said earlier I believe it is too early to
condemn Buhari, may be after three years, we can ask him to present his
score card.
There was a report that some Yoruba elders were trying to broker
peace between you and former President Obasanjo. The two of you were
known to be very close until things fell apart, how true is the
reconciliation effort?
I’m not fighting anybody. Baba is Baba anyday. I’m not fighting him. He
was my senior in the military, and my political leader when he became
civilian president. I worked with him closely and if I still see him
today, I will salute him and pay him compliments as my elder and senior.
But like I said earlier, whatever a human being does he should be fair
to all, and God fearing. Vengeance is mine as God says.
If we are not close again today, it doesn’t matter. When I was working
with Obasanjo, I was completely loyal to him, 100 percent loyal, but
what I got back in return for my loyalty was a shock. I didn’t bargain
for it.
What kind of shock was that?
I supported Obasanjo blindly but what did I get in return, I got a
blind eye for supporting him. I was jailed on a false allegation. I went
to prison falsely accused but thank God the Supreme Court quashed my
jail sentence.
But my disappointment with Baba was that when I was released from
prison, and my supporters came rejoicing with me, and I was given a
heroic welcome, Obasanjo said we were celebrating criminality. That
means that Obasanjo who I was extremely loyal to, also believe that I
truly committed the crime.
But God fought my battle, and my adversaries were all put to shame. I
thank God for the Supreme Court judgment, which exonerated me from
committing any crime.
I was wrongfully jailed, but since God has vindicated me, I bear no
bitterness or grudges against anybody including Obasanjo, but I have
learnt a great lesson about human beings. I thank God that I went to
prison, I came out without becoming a blind person or suffering one
deformity or the other.
Life is but a walking shadow, and the Bible says in everything, always thank God.
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