You're not man enough like us when you became President, Obasanjo tells Jonathan
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that former President Goodluck Jonathan from his first day as President showed he was too small for the office.
He said he (Obasanjo) acted more as an opponent of Jonathan than a supporter of Muhammadu Buhari ahead of the 2015 Presidential poll.
Obasanjo, who said Jonathan deceived him that he would not give Diezani Allison-Madueke the petroleum portfolio in his cabinet, added that the immediate past President was deceived into believing that he could use money to buy the 2015 Presidential election.
Obasanjo in the book, Against the Run of Play: How an Incumbent President was defeated in Nigeria, written by former Presidential spokesman, Segun Adeniyi, also revealed that Jonathan was gripped by the fear that Buhari, as President, would jail him or lead him to an early grave.
In the 204-page book, former President Jonathan himself was quoted as saying he could not be held accountable for provocative remarks made by some of his supporters, even as former Senate President, David Mark, is also quoted in the book as alleging that he forewarned the former president about the alleged conspiracy against him in the north but to no avail.
Obasanjo in the book was also quoted as saying that following Umaru Yar’Adua’s death in 2010, he endorsed Jonathan for the 2011 Presidential election principally to solve the problems of minority agitation in Nigeria.
“I saw the emergence of Jonathan as an opportunity to solve the problem of minority agitation. The three majority ethnic groups in Nigeria can always sort themselves out but not so for the minority. A good example is my state here in Ogun.
“Despite the best of intentions, nobody from Ogun West has been able to become governor because of this minority issue and it will take a conscious effort to make it happen. So, it was in the context of that I had to plead with prominent people in the North to allow Jonathan run for a term.
“I warned him not to make Diezani petroleum minister.â€
In a tone laden with regrets, Obasanjo pointed out that there were certain things Jonathan did that fell below his expectations as a former President.
“There were certain decisions taken by Jonathan very early in his administration that pointed to the fact that the office was bigger than him and one of them was the appointment of a petroleum minister,†he said.
According to Obasanjo, he cautioned Jonathan not to appoint Diezani Alison-Madueke to such a sensitive sector but he ignored his counsel.
“Jonathan gave me the impression that he was not going to give her the portfolio but at the end he did and we can see the consequence. He, of course, knew what he was doing,†Obasanjo stated.
Obasnjo also hinted at why he parted ways with Jonathan in the run up to the 2015 election, a development which has given the impression that he was actively working in support of Buhari’s candidature. He however denied any direct support to Buhari.
“I didn’t join them in supporting Buhari. I joined in opposing Jonathan so Buhari was just a beneficiary of my opposition to Jonathan since my position was AOBJ: meaning Any Option But Jonathan.â€
Obasanjo explained that Jonathan and his handlers believed that they could buy the last election and that they were so arrogant about it that the PDP would print only one nomination form for him and him alone.
“If he was wise, he would have yielded the ticket to somebody else in the PDP.â€
Obasanjo who also criticised the role played by the military in the last election, said he suspected that Jonathan was not really afraid about life after office but Buhari, his successor.
“I believe Jonathan’s concern or fear is not about life after office per se, because he and i have had occasions to talk about this both seriously and jovially.
“I believe Jonathan’s fear is particularly motivated by the person he sees as his likely successor, that is Buhari. I believe the people would have been telling him that Buhari is a hard man, he would fight corruption and he (Jonathan) may end up in jail if not in the grave,†Obasanjo narrated in the book.
The book also placed the defeat of Jonathan at the 2015 poll on the utterances of those close to the former President, chief among them being his wife, Patience.
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