Mixed Reactions Trail Obasanjo’s ‘Letter Bomb’ to Buhari

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Tuesday, January 23rd, 2018

Photo: Nigeria’s Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo (R) and incumbent President, Mohammadu Buhari

By Ayo Balogun, Lagos

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Reactions have continued to trail the special statement issued by former President Olusegun Obasanjo advising President Buhari to heed the clarion call and bow out in 2019.

In the special statement trending on social media, Obasanjo cited President Buhari’s impaired health, age, nepotism and the poor handling of the country’s economy as reasons why he should not seek re-election in 2019.

In reacting to the letter, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) commended Obasanjo even as it said the letter truly reinforced the mind of Nigerians and the current state of the Nigeria’s economy.

“The fact is that Nigerians overrated President Buhari in 2015 but they have now seen that he never possessed the capacity and the required aptitude to effectively govern our great nation and pilot a healthy economy.

“This accounts for the reason former President Obasanjo, just like most Nigerians today, are concerned about the quality of presidential candidates to be presented by various parties for the 2019 election.

“The fact is that while the APC is already caught up with President Buhari, the PDP is open for a new engagement that will throw up the President, which our nation truly deserves at this crucial moment.” PDP’s Publicity secretary, Kola Ologbodiyan stated.

On their own part, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) said “the statement credited to former President Obasanjo that President Buhari should not run in the 2019 election, is his democratic right to express his view like any other Nigerian on all issues.”

The group, however, added that it is President Buhari’s prerogative and that of APC to decide on whether he will re-contest or not.

On twitter, the following are some of the reactions of Nigerians to the Obasanjo’s letter.

Mr. Aye Dee‏ @MrAyeDee

Just curious as to why many of those who celebrated Obasanjo’s letter to GEJ are not also celebrating Obasanjo’s letter to Buhari…Also, why many who said Obasanjo’s letter to GEJ was irrelevant seem to think Obasanjo’s letter to Buhari is the Holy grail…

Dr. Dipo Awojide‏ @OgbeniDipo

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Chief Bisi Akande are currently meeting Buhariu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Must be linked with Obasanjo’s letter. South West is a game changer, so a meeting must have been hurriedly arranged. I wish the same urgency was given to Middle Belt.

8-Rufai 4 Kaduna‏ @El4Kaduna

We reject Obasanjo’s glaring hypocritical criticism. This is the only president who sees faults in everyone else but himself. It’s still fresh in our memories how he foisted a kleptomaniac on Nigerians. Whatever Obasanjo says in his letter, he can’t call Buhari a thief.

Gimba Kakanda‏ @gimbakakanda

Obasanjo is the architect of the chaos we are in now, and even though you wish to praise him as a model, allow those with retentive memory to remind us of how he rigged elections, bribed lawmakers to let him stay in power and, when those failed, he imposed Yar’adua and GEJ on us.

People Reader‏ @Godwinedet01

Typical Nigerian character, instead of seeing the sense in Obasanjo’s letter we will start telling stories of how he brought in Yardua and co. #pathetic