As the 2019 elections are coming closer, emotions are running high in Nigeria. Possible presidential candidates do not miss an opportunity to point out each other’s flaws. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo decided to send a letter to President Buhari and dissuade him from running for the second term. As you might have guessed, not everyone was happy about it. Find out what Buhari's supporters think of the Obasanjo letter to Buhari.
The letter from Obasanjo to Buhari
Just a few days ago, Obasanjo decided to send a letter to President Buhari. We will not go too much into detail about what he has said, you can read the full Obasanjo letter to Buhari if you follow this link.
That said, here are seven most important points Obasanjo made against Buhari and his government:
- Obasanjo mentioned that Buhari had little knowledge in terms of how economy, foreign affairs or internal politics worked.
- He appealed to the President to stop condoning corruption, as, in his opinion, Buhari had turned a blind eye to it.
- Obasanjo accused Buhari of nepotism that bordered on clannishness, and of inability to control it.
READ ALSO: Obasanjo's letter to Buhari: 15 main things former president said
- Apart from the President himself, Olusegun Obasanjo also went after the Federal Government for allowing the herdsmen rampage to continue. He also accused several governors for endorsing Buhari for his second term right after 73 victims of the herdsmen were buried in Benue State with no condolences.
- He talked of the government’s buck-passing and paying the blame game.
- Obasanjo urged Buhari to ‘dismount from the horse’ with honour.
- He also discussed the creation of Coalition for Nigeria Movement, which was meant to provide a better future for the country.
In a nutshell, Olusegun Obasanjo called Muhammadu Buhari out for being a weak leader with little to no understanding of what it means to be a president and urged him not to run for the second term. Understandably, people that support President Buhari have gotten very angry.
The response of Buhari's supporters to Obasanjo's letter
One of the fastest to react to this situation were the members of the Democratic Youths Congress for Buhari 2019, a youth group that supports Buhari. They called Obasanjo’s letter an open confrontation against the Northern part of Nigeria, which in their opinion, made Obasanjo who he is today.
Kassim Mohammad Kassim, member of Nasarawa State House of Assembly that represents Akwanga South Constituency and National Chairman of this group, spoke on this topic on Friday in Owerri, Imo State. He called the letter Obasanjo’s outburst and said that it was merely a tactic that could help Obasanjo get his name back out in the media before the 2019 elections.
The Chairman also said that not only Buhari was to be held accountable for the current state of Nigeria. He stated that some of the past presidents are responsible for what was happening today, including Obasanjo. Kassim accused Obasanjo of being selfish during his presidency and said that former president did not add any value to the country or provide any solutions for the issues he raised in his letter.
To conclude their statement, the group reiterated their commitment to support Buhari in his ambition to run for the second term. They stated that the letter did nothing to move their faith in the President. The group also mentioned that they were going to mobilise 1.5 million young Nigerians from all over the country in support of President Buhari’s re-election.
So what is your opinion about all of this? Whose side are you on? Do you think former President Obasanjo is right? Or is it really just a ploy to push his name out in time for 2019 elections? Let us know in the comments.
READ ALSO: 11 memorable quotes from Buhari's response to Obasanjo's letter
Source: Naija.ng