2019: Buhari behaving like Abacha, plans to rig election – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Sunday attacked President Muhammadu Buhari, accusing him of plotting to rig the general elections.
Buhari is seeking re-election on the platform of his party, APC. The presidential and National Assembly elections will hold on February 16.
In an open letter titled “Point for Concern and Action” which he distributed to journalists at a press conference held at his house at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Obasanjo also alleged that the president was acting like a former military dictator, Sani Abacha.
“Buhari has succeeded in deceiving us the first time and we will be fools to allow ourselves to be deceived the second time,” Obasanjo wrote.
“Buba Galadima, who knows Buhari very well as a confidant and National Secretary of Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, the Buhari’s party before it joined in forming All Progressives Congress, APC has warned us this time around that no matter what he promises, he cannot change his character and attitude.”
Obasanjo claimed that what is happening in Nigeria under Buhari can be likened to what Nigerians witnessed under a late military dictator, Sani Abacha.
Abacha, who ruled Nigeria between 1993 and 1998, died in office while trying to perpetuate himself in office.
“He went for broke and surrounded himself with hatchet men who on his order and in his interest and at high costs to Nigeria and Nigerians, maimed, tortured and killed for Abacha. Buhari has started on the same note on the same path in mad desperation,” Obasanjo claimed.
He then alleged that the president and his party are recruiting collation officers who are already awarding election results.
He added that there is a connection between the trial of the Chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen and the alleged plan of Buhari to rig the election.
“It is the sole reason he has blatantly refused to sign the revised electoral bill into law. His henchmen are working round the clock in cahoots with security and election officials to perfect their plan by computing results right from the ward to local government, state and national levels to allot him what will look like a landslide victory irrespective of the true situation for a candidate who might have carried out by proxy presidential debate and campaigns.”
He said the current plan is to drape the pre-determined results with a toga of credibility and also use violence of unimaginable proportion which will be unleashed in high voting population areas across the country to precipitate re-run elections.
Commenting on the TraderMoni initiative of the Federal Government, Obasanjo said Osinbajo must have gone for “if you can’t beat them, join them”.
He described the programme as “outrightly idiotic”, adding that there is a sinister motive behind it.
“Osinbajo has shown the human weakness and proved the saying that the corruption of the best is the worst form of corruption. His explanation that it was their government programme can only be construed to be very shallow and lopsided, if not an outrightly idiotic programme,” he said.
Reacting to Osinbajo’s statement that Buhari was not aware of plans to arraign Onnoghen, Obasanjo said it shows that the president is not in charge of the government.
The former president said despite threats to probe and arrest him, he will not bow to intimidation.
“Here again, I have been threatened with arrest and extermination but I will not succumb to intimidation or threats,” he said.

…OBJ only expressed opinion – Adeshina

By Kayode Adeoti and Mike Adeyemi

The Presidency last night reacted to statement credited to former President Olusegun Obasanjo that President Muhammadu Buhari has done nothing to deserve being re-elected.
The Special Adviser on Media to Buhari, Femi Adesina, while featuring on Channel Television programme; ‘Politics Today’ monitored in Ilorin, stressed that Obasanjo’s comment is just an opinion which everyone is entitled to.
“…his statement is just an opinion and anybody is entitled to that…”
Adesina further said his principal is not willing to join issues with the former president who was his senior way back in the military.
He said, “Buhari has abiding respect for Obasanjo because they are both from a constituency where respect is forever – the military. Obasanjo is his senior and he will not be seen disrespecting his senior.
He said, “Buhari has abiding respect for Obasanjo because they both came from the same constituency where respect is forever…”
Also, the All Progressives Congress (APC) while reacting to claims by Obasanjo that the APC-led government had concluded plans with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to rig the 2019 election, said the former president was being haunted by his past.
The spokesperson of the party, Lanre Issa-Onilu, said, “Obasanjo would realise that he is not God” after the presidential election.
“For eight years of Obasanjo in office, all the institutions of government were brought under his wings and what he did for those eight years is what is haunting him.
“We can understand where the former president is coming from, his past is haunting him, he imagines that perhaps the way he did it is the same way we will do it.”