Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has denied the allegation that
he is supporting the re-election bid of President Muhammadu Buhari.
In a press statement by his media aide Mr Kehinde Akinyemi on
Wednesday in Ogun State, he described the report as malicious and
unfounded.
He also denied the claim that Obasanjo met with some leaders of the
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Tuesday at his house in Abuja, the
nation’s capital.
Akinyemi said his boss was neither in Abuja on May 1 nor does he own a
house in the Federal Capital Territory, as he usually stays in a guest
house or hotel anytime he visits.
The media aide maintained that the position of the former president
remains unchanged as stated in a statement he issued on the state of the
nation in January.
According to him, Nigerians know that Obasanjo has only spoken the
truth about poverty and would continue to exercise his right to free
speech.
The statement read: “In this desperation, everything is fair,
including telling libellous lies against persons and institutions,
instead of addressing the fundamental issues of statecraft and economic
management.
“In the last 24 hours, the internet has been bombarded with
deliberate falsehoods aimed at hoodwinking the unsuspecting Nigerians to
believe that Obasanjo has now supported Buhari for his second term
because of some perceived Buhari’s ‘superlative’ performance in his
encounter with (U.S. President Donald) Trump during his visit to the
White House in Washington D. C.
“From the Buhari/Trump meeting, Chief Obasanjo only saw through three
points: One, the US will continue to reduce purchase of crude oil from
Nigeria and there is nothing Nigeria under Buhari can do about; two, the
US will export agricultural products to Nigeria and Buhari’s government
will encourage that; and three – all the killings taking place in
Nigeria by herdsmen are being done by expatriates trained by Gadaffi and
no Nigerian is to blame and Buhari cannot do anything to stop it.
“For whatever the meeting was worth, President Buhari again bungled
another opportunity to self-redeem. Therefore, Chief Obasanjo is more
convinced in his statement of January 23rd and will not change his
position.
“Chief Obasanjo understands that the internet has good and bad uses.
Those abusing the media should desist from this barbaric act as it will
only expose them to greater ridicule at the end of the day. Obasanjo
will continue to speak out.”