LAGOS, Federal Republic of Nigeria. A former Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Rowland Owie, has again warned the President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, to shun ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo if he desired to succeed in giving the nation purposeful leadership.
Owie flayed Obasanjo over his perceived posture to influence the incoming administration with his think-tank report submitted to Buhari by a team of technocrats he put together.
Owie had in April told Buhari: “I thank God for you, but you must deliver on your promises and also build on what President Goodluck Jonathan did. Above all, you must run far from Obasanjo. If he can’t control your government, he will fight you.
“He has done it to all former Presidents of Nigeria and even against MKO Abiola who was not sworn in. Never discuss with Obasanjo unless you have at least two of your aides present.”
Owie in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday asked: ”How can Obasanjo be preparing a blueprint for Buhari? A Bini parable says, ‘how can an impotent man get medicine for his brother, who suffers weak erection?’”
He described the document as needless.
In further expressing disappointment at Buhari’s romance with Obasanjo, Owie said: “Obasanjo will tell the world that the solutions he prescribed for fixing Nigeria were ignored. I just read that Obasanjo’s think-tank has submitted a blueprint to Buhari. Blue what?
“I am shocked that great Nigerians of the likes of Prof Akin Mabogunje, Dr. Idika Kalu and Dr. Christopher Kolade were involved. That Obasanjo is linked to the blue-print, it will be a document of blackmail to Buhari very soon.”
Furthermore, he queried: “How can Obasanjo who allegedly wasted eight years in government pursuing perceived enemies, and tried to ruin the legislative and judiciary arms of government in Nigeria; wasted $16 billion on power and not a single kilowatt of energy was produced, destroyed Aladja Steel, Itakpe Steel, Ajaokuta Steel, NITEL, just to mention a few FGN parastatals, now begin to advise Buhari?”
He alleged that Obsanjo’s legacies were hate, divisiveness, Zaki- Ibiam and Odi destruction, impunity in government business and the business of the PDP that was put together by well-meaning people, including himself when Obasanjo was in prison.
He added that the present state of PDP was created by Obasanjo when the late SB Awoniyi was rigged out in 2000 at Eagle Square and another attempt to rebuild the party through Chief Audu Ogbeh was frustrated when Ogbeh was forced to resign as PDP chairman.
“Thank God now that Obasanjo has left the PDP, we can rebuild the party,” he stated.
Credit: Daily Independent (Nigeria)
