Ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo has shut down claims that he had decided not to support any candidate for the 2019 presidential election in Nigeria saying he would be a fool to be neutral.
According to Premium Times, Obasanjo made the clarification in a statement he released on Sunday, December 9 through his media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi.
He said:
“While Chief Olusegun Obasanjo is in Cairo to attend the maiden edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF), of which he is Chairman of the Advisory Council, his attention has been drawn to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) with the headline “Atiku: Obasanjo Shifts Political Gear to Neutral.
“It is disingenuous, if not malicious, for anyone to suggest that Chief Obasanjo was being neutral when he chose not to use the Owu Convention as a platform for political campaign but instead adopt a communal and familiar approach in talking to members of his Owu family.”
It added: “For the records, and as accurately reported by some media organisations, what the former president said at the convention in Iwo was that while he would not impress any candidates on them, Nigerians should vote for credible candidates who will drive growth and development and make their lives better than it is now.”
He explained Obasanjo’s statement did not suggest his neutrality, as he believes that, “only a fool will sit on the fence or be neutral when his or her country is being destroyed with incompetence, corruption, lack of focus, insecurity, nepotism, brazen impunity and denial of the obvious.”
“Chief Obasanjo is no such fool nor is he so unwise,” the aide said.
Obasanjo, who spoke at the 27th annual Owu National Convention held in Iwo, Osun, said credible leadership would promote good governance.
Leave a Reply