Former Nigerian Chief of Army Staff, retired Lt-General Alani Akinrinade, has described former President Olusegun Obasanjo as “this irritable man” even as he advised that he should be kept where he belongs – dust bin of history.
In an advertorial that was published on page 35 of The PUNCH today, Thursday, General Akinrinade said: “the Nigerian media appear to have forgotten they are indeed the fourth estate of the realm. They are gatekeepers. They owe Nigeria the responsibility of keeping this irritable man where he belongs- the waste bin of history.
“Like his daughter, Iyabo, reminded him in her letter, Nigeria does not belong to him. He should allow Nigerians choose who they want and stop goading the citizenry for his own selfish interests.”
The retired army general asked Nigerians to ignore Obasanjo’s call for the election of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, saying that Obasanjo’s modus operandi is to support a new candidate at almost every election cycle and once the person is elected, he would begin to criticize the new President.
He accused Obasanjo of always acting in defence of his own selfish interest, adding: “Olusegun Obasanjo asking Nigerians to vote for Atiku Abubakar is an insult to our collective intelligence. With the benefit of hindsight, can anyone truly say Obasanjo’s sense of judgment in choosing leaders can be trusted?
“Take a good look at history. Through the clandestine manoeuvres in 1979, he foisted on Nigeria a reluctant Shehu Shagari at the expense of the cerebral Obafemi Awolowo or Nnamdi Azikiwe. “After his second coming, he so manipulated the electoral system that he fraudulently installed an unhealthy Umaru Yar’Adua as President alongside another reluctant character in the person of Goodluck Jonathan as the deputy.
“He denied every interested member of his party while employing all sorts of machination including threat and blackmail. Then came 2015; he told Nigerians Muhammadu Buhari is the best man for the job. As he has done to every Presidential candidate he installed or supported, a few years down the line, he says Buhari is unfit for the job again.”
The former Chief of Army Staff said that it is shameful of Obasanjo to have endorsed Atiku after calling him all sorts of names in the past, adding that it is funny that the same Obasanjo who publicly tore his Peoples Democratic Party membership card could return to his vomit.
“The Bible says something about such people- a double-minded man is unstable in his ways, James 1:8. Obasanjo is not a man whose judgement can be trusted.”
Source: Punch
