24th January, 2018
A House of Representatives member, Mr Abiante Awaji-Inombek (Rivers-PDP), on Wednesday lauded former President Olusegun Obasanjo for his letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, saying it would benefit Nigerians.
Awaji-Inombek told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the letter was intended to re-focus Buhari’s administration to address issues that affect majority of Nigerians.
He said that Obasanjo was eminently qualified to make observations over governance in Nigeria and countries in Africa and the world and urged the present administration to take it i good fate.
The lawmaker said that the letter expressed the feelings of many Nigerians, especially the less-privileged, adding that it was an aggregation of the pains and desires of the people.
“His write up is also about the reality and temperament in the country.
“It is coming from a General like him; it is also left for the General that the letter was sent to, to look at it, study it, understand it and act within his own purview,’’ he said.
On his part, a Political Analyst, Mr Ephraim Audu, said that nobody could dispute the fact that Obasanjo, as an elder statesman, was a major influence in Africa’s politics.
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“Obasanjo has succeeded in creating a brand for himself that whatever comment he makes always elicit chain reaction.
“I think he is unbiased by advising President Buhari appropriately as he looked at three issues; he talked about nepotism, security and the economy.
“For Obasanjo to come up with such press release, I strongly believe that it is a good advice for the nation,’’ he said.
Audu added that for Obasanjo to advise the president not to run in the 2019 election, “he might have done his analysis, asked questions and interacted with other political stakeholders’’.
He explained that the letter was a feedback and that there was nothing wrong for him to advise the president as he did.
According to Audu, out of over 200 million Nigerians, are we saying that we do not have competent, vibrant people, people that are democratic in nature that can handle the affairs of this country?
“I want to believe that 2019 is not going to be business as usual, because I see 2019 as politics that will be a North-North contention.
“All political parties are looking at Northerners; so, it is not going to be like the era of former President Goodluck Jonathan – Jonathan is from the South and Buhari from the North,’’ he said.