Former President Olusegun Obasanjo said on Wednesday that he could vouch for the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar, because he has the capacity, passion, experience and courage to reposition and move Nigeria forward; unlike the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, who covers up his cluelessness and failure with sanctimonious veneer of bogus integrity, incorruptibility, uprightness, goodness and false figures and statistics, all of which are contrived to deceive, to cheat, to plunder and to destroy.
Obasanjo, who spoke at the 2019 quarterly business lecture organized by the Island Club of Lagos, expressed confidence that Atiku would win the next presidential election scheduled to hold on February 16. He urged Nigerians to defend the nation’s fledgling democracy and take the country back from the cabals presently controlling it. The former President questioned the integrity of President Buhari and described the anti-graft war of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as a charade. OBJ lamented that he had been vilified and called all sorts of names because of his support and position on Atiku, which contradict what he had written in his memoirs.
“I have been called names because of my position on Atiku Abubakar. Everything I have said as far as I have knowledge of Atiku, I have not retracted and I stand firmly by it because it is, the best of my knowledge, true. And neither has what I have said and written about Buhari been controverted, if anything, it has been confirmed and proved beyond any shadow of doubt. But Atiku has done things which are absolutely imperative for a leader to be followed and believed.
“Unlike some others, Atiku has never claimed to be a saint or a messiah. When I said someone was not a messiah some years ago, some people were up in arms. As a Christian, the only messiah I know is Jesus Christ. A leader must be honest to himself and the people he wants to serve and be served. I believe Atiku has these qualities. A good leader must identify mistakes, show remorse, seek forgiveness and repent, and not pass the buck to others. Atiku has asked for my forgiveness and I forgave him as my religion tells me to,” Obasanjo said.
He added that a good leader must understand the problems he is trying to solve, reach out to a team of experts and concerned citizens, work hard to provide credible solutions that will work for Nigeria and the rest of Africa. “All these are lacking presently,” he said. OBJ however, said the PDP candidate had demonstrated what was expected of a committed and sincere leader by owing up to his past mistakes and showing remorse. Obasanjo added that Atiku had not only apologized to his political party and the nation, but also apologized to him for the past mistakes he made as his deputy.
He said Atiku was not infallible like every other human being and that he, (Obasanjo) would be playing God by not forgiving the former Vice-President. “He asks for forgiveness from me and as a believer, a Christian as such, I forgave him in accordance with the teaching and instruction of my Savior. For, if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your father will not forgive your sins (Matt 6:14-15 NIV).If anybody blames me for forgiving Atiku, I leave such a person with God Almighty, especially as both Christian and Islamic clerics joined Atiku to visit me to seek forgiveness. Anybody who does not forgive when forgiveness is sought with contrite heart cannot be a true believer and should not expect the forgiveness of God,” OBJ said.
The former president said past disagreements notwithstanding, Atiku demonstrated great leadership qualities when he was in office as Vice-President. OBJ therefore, appealed to the electorate to vote for Atiku and the PDP in the coming presidential poll, saying that he (Atiku) would be president of all Nigerians and not just those who voted for him. “This is the difference between Atiku and the incumbent. He will be a team leader and not be controlled by any cabal as we are currently witnessing.” OBJ discounted allegations that he confiscated power from Atiku when he was vice president, explaining that: “I didn’t need to call him acting president like some people did last year. But because I wasn’t absent from my duties for 104 days at a time, people don’t know he regularly stood in for me when I was out of the country on official duty. Atiku is experienced, exposed and has learnt his lessons. We need to change this change for the better.”
Atiku, who was the keynote speaker, in his presentation entitled: ‘My Vision to get Nigeria Working Again’ decried the present happenings in the country. He alleged that after unsuccessfully abusing the instruments of state power to remove the leadership of the legislature, President Buhari had turned his sights on the judiciary. “Nigeria’s democracy is now in peril.”
He said his vision to get Nigeria working again through 10 pragmatic policies, which he hopes to enact if elected, include restoring investors’ confidence in the economy, supporting the private sector, privatizing ailing enterprises, especially the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), assist small scale entrepreneurs to be more productive and prioritizing human capital development.
“Our institutions need reform, our judiciary is under attack, we need to move from mere slogans and address concrete issues. We will create a model economy, functional federal structure, government based on the rule of law, create three million jobs annually and ensure all citizens have equal economic benefits. We will build strong and effective institutions, and reposition the public sector to be more disciplined and performance-oriented.
“I cannot think of a more important election than the forthcoming one, given our developmental challenges in Nigeria today. Opportunity to change this country begins on February 16; do not fail to be part of it. The people of Lagos are comfortable so they don’t vote, but you all must go out and vote this time around,” Atiku said.
According to Atiku, “It is more to the benefit of Nigerians if we privatize the oil and gas sector. The government would have a small interest but it would be fully led by the private sector and we would reduce to the barest minimum, the corruption going on in the NNPC now.”
Also present at the lecture were PDP bigwigs, including its Lagos State guber candidate, Jimi Agbaje; Senate President, Bukola Saraki; PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus; Senator Ben Murray Bruce; former Rivers governor, Liyel Imoke; former governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel; erstwhile Deputy PDP National Chairman, Chief Bode George; and former Osun governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola.
