Obasanjo guilty of his allegations against Jonathan – Bakare

The Serving Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly, Lagos, Pastor Tunde Bakare, says former President Olusegun Obasanjo is guilty of the sundry allegations he levelled against President Goodluck Jonathan in his (Obasanjo) recent letter to the President.

Bakare, who said this during his sermon in his church in Lagos on Sunday, noted that the former President’s letter to Jonathan painted a portrait of Obasanjo himself while he was in office as the nation’s helmsman.

Obasanjo had written an 18-page letter to Jonathan, calling the President’s attention to critical issues in the polity, which he believed could plunge the nation into chaos if not urgently addressed before they degenerated.

Jonathan had responded to the ex-President letter, where he tried to justify his actions and policies while calling Obasanjo to produce the evidence to back up his claims, especially the former President’s assertion that Jonathan was raising about 1,000 strong snipers against political opponents.

Speaking on ‘The parable of letters and the cacophony of voices,’ Bakare wondered why the ex-president could “turn around” to blame Jonathan for any of his actions when Obasanjo “imposed him and Yar’Adua” on the nation.

Admitting that Obasanjo marshalled his arguments well in the letter, the cleric faulted the morality of the letter, saying Obasanjo was as guilty of the allegations contained in his letter just as the person the letter was addressed to.

Bakare, who is the Convener, Save Nigeria Group, said, “Last Sunday, I told you that the President’s (Jonathan) reply was on the way; and expectedly, few hours later, it was already on the airwaves. Well, Obasanjo marshalled his arguments well in his letter. But, that is not the point. The point is how can Obasanjo turn around to accuse Jonathan of wrongdoing when they are both guilty of the same offence?

“Was it not the same Obasanjo that imposed (the late Umaru) Yar’Adua and Jonathan on the PDP and ensure that they emerged winners in the Presidential election? How can the same person be accusing Jonathan of wrongdoing? Besides, Obasanjo’s letter is just about himself; that is, he has written a letter that tells his own story.”

The cleric believed that the nation’s problems had its roots in the fact that “we have low people in high places.”

He added, “Shehu Shagari already decided that he wanted to be a Senator in the Second Republic; he had obtained and submitted his form for a senatorial seat. Then, they dragged him to be the President. Obasanjo was brought out of prison broke, but was sponsored and given money to become the President. In the same vein, Yar’Adua was about completing his two terms of eight years (as the Katsina State governor) and he just wanted to return to the classroom as a lecturer but they brought him to become the President, hiding his ailment from the rest of us.

“So, you have people, who ordinarily do not have any business in governance occupying sensitive offices. What do you want them to do? That is the roots of our problem.”

Bakare disclosed that he got cow gifts from the Presidency and the Ogun State Government during the Christmas, but appealed to the President to face the task of providing basic necessities of life for Nigerians rather than sending cow gifts.

“I was prevailed upon not to return the gifts like the late Gani Fawehinmi did to (Buba) Marwa, when Marwa was the military governor of Lagos State. I don’t eat such meat. That does not mean that I will not tell the President to face his work and do it well. We need good roads; not cow. We need water, power supply; not cow meat,” he said.

PUNCH NG