Obasanjo not a moral guide, says Afenifere Renewal Group – Newstrends
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Obasanjo not a moral guide, says Afenifere Renewal Group

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2 years ago

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Olusegun Obasanjo

Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) and Yoruba Assembly yesterday urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ignore the call by former President Olusegun Obasanjo for the cancellation of last Saturday’s presidential election.

Both groups warned the erstwhile President against undue interference in the constitutional responsibilities of the electoral agency as an independent agency under the law.

They said there should be no room for annulment, no basis for interim government and no reason to incite the military against the democratic process.
In a statement, titled: We Must Not Tread This Path Again, ARG Chairman Olawale Oshun, who reacted to Obasanjo’s tirade on the presidential election, said the former President always presented himself as the only Nigerian patriot whose views must hold sway all the time.

He said: “Whether in his intervention in the 1993 presidential elections that yielded MKO Abiola and in this particular instance of the yet-to-be concluded 2023 elections, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo lacks the moral right to serve as a guiding beacon.”

Oshun, the Chief Whip of the House of Representatives in the Third Republic, described Obasanjo as a politically partisan Nigerian who cannot, at the same time, be pretending to be the father of the nation.

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He said: “We will be justified to impute motive and suggest that this 2023 attempt at wanting to render the elections inchoate as that of 1993 could just be that Gen. Obasanjo would want till his passing to remain the only Yoruba man to ever attain leadership of the country.”

Oshun recalled that Obasanjo’s hand was heavy in the institution of the failed 1993 Interim National Government (ING), a process that ultimately led to the restoration of the military, the coming of Gen. Sani Abacha regime and ultimately to the death of President-elect Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, Obasanjo’s townsman.

The statement reads: “We, speaking for Yoruba people, call for the completion of the 2023 electoral processes, starting with the already held national elections and ending with the state executive and legislative elections.

“If Gen. Obasanjo succeeded in intervening in the elections held under him, he should at least grant the present President the full prerogative of wishing to bequeath a free and fair election in our country. We pray he is able to do that to the end.

“We recognise, however, that more than ever before, Nigeria is at a crossroads and that whoever emerged of the candidates, has a great responsibility to set the ship of nationhood on the right path.

“We, as a people, call on the incoming government to set itself on the task of restoring unity of all the peoples of the country. This, however, has to be predicated on building a nation where all the diverse people are equitable members in the country. This can only be precipitated with a wholesome reform and Restructure of the Constitution of the country. We no longer can pretend that the 1999 Constitution can see or aid the peace, amity and development of the country. That Constitution cannot.

“For now, let the 2023 electoral processes be completed and any party or candidate can, as provided for in the Electoral Laws, seek justice in our courts. Whoever emerges, however, has great unifying tasks ahead, if Nigeria is to remain one.

“We also add that the military should completely steer clear of whatever temporary impasse that could occur as this is not unusual in all democracies. The military should also turn a deaf ear to any possible incitement, be it from retired Generals or their rank and file.

“The world has moved on and the Yoruba people will resist with other Nigerians, were any misguided intervention to take place in our polity.”

The Nation

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Atiku says he’s not sure about contesting 2027 presidential election

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16 hours ago

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March 26, 2025

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Former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar

Atiku says he’s not sure about contesting 2027 presidential election

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said that he does not know if he will contest the presidency in 2027.

Atiku made the remark in a yet-to-be-aired interview for a television show, Untold Stories, with Adesuwa Giwa-Osagie, scheduled for broadcast today but exclusively obtained by Daily Trust.

The former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) recently announced the formation of a coalition of opposition leaders to wrest power from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.

However, there has been widespread speculation about who will lead the coalition and emerge as its presidential candidate, with former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi and former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, being considered among its key figures.

When asked if he would be running for the presidency in 2027, Atiku said: “I don’t know because there has to be, first of all, a viable platform, more than any other time in the political history of this country, particularly since the return of democracy.”

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Atiku, who has run for the presidency a record six times, did not rule out the possibility of contesting again in 2027.

“I have not seen Nigeria in dire need of, you know, an experienced and credible leadership than this time.

“We had a similar, you know, what would I say, merger in 2014. About four of us or is it three? We all ran for president and one of us emerged, and we all supported the one who emerged, and he won,” he said.

He agreed with former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s assertion that Nigeria’s democracy is deteriorating, saying the situation is “very dire.”

“No doubt about that,” he said.

Atiku also expressed his disappointment with the country’s political leadership.

“The next generation after me, many of them had been governors, had been senators. Instead of me to see an improvement in the level of governance at the state level and so on and so forth, I don’t see it. So I feel a little bit distressed.”

Atiku also questioned the credibility of the current legislative leadership, especially as it relates to the National Assembly’s ratification of the state of emergency in Rivers State

“I am not surprised,” he said, alleging that they are corrupt.

 

Atiku says he’s not sure about contesting 2027 presidential election

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Africa’s democracy is govt by small for small number of people – Obasanjo

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2 days ago

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March 25, 2025

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Africa’s democracy is govt by small for small number of people – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has advanced reasons for what he called abysmal failure of democracy in Africa.

According to him, African presidents work with a clique and wield enormous powers with little or no resistance from perpetuating illegalities and abuse of office.

The ex-President said the democracy being practised in Africa does not aligned with the people’s values, culture, and way of life.

Obasanjo said spoke on Monday at a colloquium in Abuja to mark the 60th birthday of Emeka Ihedioha, a former governor of Imo State.

The former Nigerian leader, who chaired the event, referencing Abraham Lincoln’s definition of democracy as “government of the people, by the people, for the people,” said the system should work for all citizens rather than a privileged few.

He however wondered if African countries are practising true democracy or only adopting Western Liberal democracy.

He said, “If you are talking about democracy failing in Africa, democracy in Africa has failed. And why has it failed?

“Because in context and in content, it is not Africa. It does not have any aspect of our culture, our way of life, what we stand for, what we believe.

“Today, we have democracy, which is the government of a small number of people, by a small number of people over a large number of people who are deprived of what they need to have in life. That is not democracy that will endure.

“It is ‘I am because I can grab.’ What sort of democracy brings you, and you grab everything and then illegally, corruptly, and you say go to court? When you know that even in the court, you cannot get justice.

“It’s not that democracy is failing, democracy is dying and if we are going to make democracy not to die, we have to look at democracy in the context and in the content of Africa. I hope that we will get to that stage so that democracy which will deliver will be the democracy that we will have in Africa.”

Obasanjo was Nigeria’s military ruler from 1976 to 1979 and democratically elected president from 1999 to 2007.

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Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai’s coalition can’t unseat Tinubu – Shekarau

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4 days ago

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March 23, 2025

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Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau

Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai’s coalition can’t unseat Tinubu – Shekarau

Former Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, has cast doubt on the ability of a newly formed opposition coalition to unseat President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections.

Shekarau described the alliance, which includes former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, and ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, as a gathering of individuals with personal political ambitions rather than a structured and unified opposition front.

His remarks came just two days after the coalition’s formation was announced, with the stated goal of challenging Tinubu’s administration.

In a statement by his spokesperson, Dr. Sule Yau, Shekarau remarked, “This is just a gathering of certain individuals with political ambitions; none of them has officially consulted their party leadership.”

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He further argued that a coalition featuring prominent figures does not necessarily equate to an effective political alliance.

“The coalition of opposition figures is a good development, as seen in their recent meeting under what they call an opposition alliance. However, none of the key figures involved represents their party leadership,” Shekarau stated.

Emphasizing the legal framework for political mergers, he pointed out that only registered parties could formally unite, making the recent gathering an informal arrangement rather than an officially recognized coalition.

 

Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai’s coalition can’t unseat Tinubu – Shekarau

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