The Nigerian presidency has kept mum over the excoriating public statement issued by former President Olusegun Obasanjo calling on President Muhammadu Buhari not to run for re-election.
Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to Mr Buhari, declined comments when reached by PREMIUM TIMES for reaction to the statement.
He said the presidency has no comment at this time but will inform the media if it decided to.
In the biting statement, Mr Obasanjo slammed President Buhari for the worsening economic situation in the country, “clannishness” and his inability to take responsibility for the failings of his administration.
Mr. Obasanjo also dismissed the ruling All Progressive Congress and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party as lacking the ingredient to salvage the country.
He called for a another political movement, which he christened Coalition for Nigeria, to oust the present political class and save the country from an impending doom.
Citing the scandalous recall of fugitive pension task force head, Abduralsheed Maina, to public service, Mr. Obasanjo accused Mr. Buhari of nepotism and inability to instill discipline “in his nepotistic court”.
He said the manner of the recall stank of “collusion, condonation, ineptitude, incompetence, dereliction of responsibility or kinship and friendship on the part of those who should have taken visible and deterrent disciplinary action.”
Mr. Obasanjo also slammed Mr. Buhari for his “poor understanding” of Nigeria’s social-political dynamics, saying his leadership has widened division and inequality in the country.
This has effect on general national security, the former president said.
He accused Mr. Buhari of having the penchant of “passing the buck”.
“If things were good, President Buhari would not need to come in. He was voted to fix things that were bad and not engage in the blame game,” the former president said.
Earlier, the ruling APC also told PREMIUM TIMES it could not comment on the statement.
“The situation is that APC does not have a response at this time,” said Bolaji Abdullahi, the spokesperson for the party. “Maybe if we are given the opportunity to study the letter more closely, we will have a response.”
Mr. Abdullahi said the party had only “relied on what is being circulated in the media.”
When told the former president accused the APC government of nepotism, corruption and incapacity to promote national integration security, Mr. Abdullahi replied: “I will not be able to react to any content of the statement until we have the opportunity to study it.”
Mr. Obasanjo’s attacks coincide with growing criticisms of the Buhari administration amid deadly farmer-herdsmen conflicts and petrol scarcity.
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