Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has unleashed another attack on President Goodluck Jonathan, accusing him of playing politics of do-or-die like the former President of Côte d’Ivoire, Laurent Gbagbo and that Jonathan is afraid of being jailed by Buhari if he loses.
Obasanjo said this on Saturday at his Hilltop Mansion in Abeokuta while speaking with newsmen shortly after he came back to the country from his overseas trips.
Obasanjo while reacting to the postponement of the election said the postponement of the election was a grand plan by Jonathan and his cronies to perpetuate themselves in office till the situation becomes clear that the election would favour him.
He accused Jonathan of playing a brand of politics played by former President Gbagbo who he said had delayed the presidential election of the country and when he eventually conducted the election and lost refused to leave the office.
According to Obasanjo, "I was away because I had a number of assignments abroad which took me to Morocco, Munich, Nairobi, London and New Delhi. Exactly a week today, when we were in Munich for what they called Munich Security Conference annual event and all people who are in security community normally, you found them there.
"For this year, the Vice President of America was there; the Secretary of State, John Kerry was there; the Chancellor of Federal Republic of Germany was there; President of Ukraine was there and many others.
"I was there with Koffi Annan. Our side was to talk about peace and security in Africa. I was to handle the African perspective while Koffi Annan was to look at it from the global perspective.
"While I was out, I refused to make any categorical statement on this issue because I wanted to come back home and learn at first hand what actually transpired and what was going on, and it turned out to be a forced decision on the INEC because it was alleged that the Security Chiefs were unable to provide security and as a result the Chairman of INEC had to postpone, in accordance with the dictates of the so called Security Chiefs.
"I thought for me, that was bad precedent for democracy in Nigeria. It meant it doesn't matter what preparation or lack of preparation any electoral body could make in Nigeria, the final decision whether election will take place on the day scheduled for it lies in the domains of the security. It is a sad day for democracy in Nigeria.
"And I will say this, we must all feel concern before democracy is killed. The observable and what would appear to be happening is that the president has a grand plan, a grand plan to ensure that by hook or by crook, he wins the election or if it all fails, they scuttle it and create chaos, confusion and unpleasantness in the whole country.
"Because it is the duty and function and responsibility of the security officers to provide security, the President is the Chief Security Officer of the country and he is the Commander-in-Chief and if security is required anywhere anytime, it is his duty to provide it. Failure to provide it is dereliction of duty, pure and simple.
"Either the President is following his own grand plan or his aides and associates are working a script, they are playing a script which must not get his endorsement if not initiated from him.
"What again it looks to me is that the President is trying to play Gbagbo. Gbagbo was the former President of Cote d’Ivoire and Gbagbo made sure he postponed the election in his country until he was sure he would win and then allowed the election to take place. He got an inconclusive election in the first ballot and I believe this is the sort of thing Nigeria may fall into if I am right in what I observed as the grand plan, and then in the run-off Gbagbo lost with 8% behind Ouattara and then refused to hand over. All reasonable persuasion and pleading was rebuffed by him and he unleashed horror in that country until nemesis caught up with him.
"I believe that we may be seeing the repeat of Gbabgo or what I called Gbagbo saga here in Nigeria, I hope not".
Source: Vanguard
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