Reps reply Obj’s bite, call him grandfather of corruption

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has stirred an hornet’s nest as his submission on a number of issues in the country has set off a barrage of reactions.

For daring to say that corruption in the Nigerian National Assembly “stinks to high heaven”, the House of Representatives has lambasted and described him as the grandfather of corruption.

The House said with the level of corruption in the country during the period Chief Obasanjo was president, that he had no moral authority to discuss corruption or indeed abuse of office in Nigeria.

The former president had in his keynote address at the First Akintola Williams Annual Lecture on Wednesday said, “The National Assembly stinks and stinks to high heavens. It needs to be purged. With appropriate measures, the budget of the National Assembly can be brought down to less than 50 per cent of what it is today. God will help Nigeria, but we must begin by helping ourselves.”

But reacting to the statement, the House spokesperson, Abdulrazak Namdas, said Chief Obasanjo lacked the moral justification to talk about corruption because the list of corrupt acts during his period in office was endless.

“He remains the grandfather of corruption in Nigeria and lacks the moral authority to discuss corruption or indeed abuse of office in Nigeria as he remains the most corrupt Nigerian on record. Undoubtedly, the former President Obasanjo is understandably angry with the National Assembly as an institution having foiled his ambition for a third term bid in office even after trying to corrupt the members with a bribe of at least N50 million each.

Read also: Are things falling apart between Obj, Buhari?

“Lest we forget, the person who introduced corruption to the National Assembly is Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. He birthed the 4th Republic National Assembly with corrupt practices from day one; indeed the first day of the Republic.

“He bribed both PDP, ANPP and AD legislators on their inauguration in 1999 to vote against the majority candidate of PDP, Dr. Chuba Okadigbo. That was how Senator Evan Enwerem became Senate President.

“Have we forgotten the sacks of money displayed on the floor of the House of Representatives being bribe money paid by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to some Honourable members to impeach Speaker, Rt. Hon. Ghali N’abba?”, the lawmakers asked.
By Ebere Ndukwu …

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