Obasanjo compares Buhari to Abacha

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Wednesday said that it was not going to be easy to wrest power from President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government.

He however said that the God that helped Nigeria when “a particular leader who had a desire to transmute from military uniform to elected president,” apparently referring to General Sani Abacha, is currently “laughing” and will again prove that he is God in the efforts by some Nigerians to have Buhari voted out in 2019.

Obasanjo stated this during a town hall meeting in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, where the Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM) members converged on Tuesday, calling on Nigerians to be prepared for the coming 2019 elections.

He said, “Some people believe that those that are in position, whether they are doing well or not, they must continue to be there. But when we say they must not be there, they will want to fight back. They will hold many things to wreak havoc, but everybody must be prepared.

“It will not be easy to wrest powers from them. If you think it will be easy to liberate Nigeria, you are deceiving yourself. But the God that did it yesterday will do it again today. Remember a particular leader who had a desire to transmute from military uniform to elected president. We had a situation that we had five political parties and the five parties nominated one person as candidate for presidency. If only his nuclear family had voted for him, he would have won.

“But our God is wonderful. God laughed. Now, God is laughing. When the time came, God revealed that He’s God. He is the omnipotent, omnipresent and eternal, who can do all things and who can make all things possible. But if we are leaving things to God, we have to do our own side. The work has started.

“Some people may be laughing at you and make jest of you, don’t be bothered with that. Listen, permanent voter’s cards (PVCs) are your instruments. If you have not collected yours, go and collect it. If you are not yet registered, go and register. Let us tell them in all urban and rural areas that PVCs are what we will use.

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Obasanjo, who had in 2015 supported Buhari’s presidential ambition, had since become one of the fiercest opposition of the President’s re-election bid and had in a letter, described him as incompetent, nepotistic, asking him not to seek re-election.

Recall that President Buhari had recently reminded Obasanjo of alleged $16 billion spent on power during his administration without anything to show for it.
But the former president during the town hall meeting with his CNM, said he had been jailed before without being given any opportunity of defence, and asking “where is the person that jailed me.

“They are the key to open the doors. Don’t be afraid or be discouraged; they will try to intimidate you individually or collectively. For me, I don’t think there is anyone that can intimidate me. Let me remind you, I have gone through many things. I have been jailed without being given any opportunity of offence. Where is the person that jailed me?

 

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