Is it a spell, is it disinformation or is it delusion?

How our reverred and much-loved Baba Olusegun Obasanjo can speak in glowing terms about Peter the Pooh and Dati the Daft amazes me.

The former persecuted non-Catholics, Muslims and non-indegenees of Anambra state, including Northeners and Yorubas, when he was Governor, invested state funds into his family business and ended up having secret bank accounts in Panama.

The latter, who is essentially nothing but a well-packaged and well-prepped Mauritanian refugee, is a man whose homicidal tendencies and insatiable blood lust have taken him to such a high level of insensitivity, cruelty, meglomania, blood-lust and depravity that he once openly and boastfully proclaimed on the Senate floor, before he was deprieved of his fake and fraudulent mandate by the courts and unceremoniously asked to leave, that he wants to “kill all homosexuals”.

These are the clinically insane, criminally-inclined and psychologically disturbed pair of social deviants and reprobates that OBJ wants to foist on Nigerians?

Worse still they control an army of trolls on social media whose only mandate and worth is to insult, denigrate, threaten, intimidate and attack anyone who disagrees with their principal.

This fascistic mob, led by an equally fascistic, narcissistic, vain, gutter snipe of a leader who attempts to hide his demagoguery and bullying ways in a cloak of humility, a semi-female high octane voice, a strange black “where me over and over again” outfit, a life time single watch and a fake benign smile is capable of shedding blood at the drop of a hat and no doubt would literally kill and wipe out all opposing voices if, God forbid, their master ever came to power.

Like Peter, Adolf Hitler started in a similarly charming, humble and alluring manner, hiding his true colours long before he wormed his way into power and by the end of it all Germany, and indeed the entire world, paid a heavy price for their folly.

No matter what anyone says about Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu or Waziri Atiku Abubakar neither have ever publicly expressed the desire to kill their fellow Nigerians purely on the grounds of their sexual preferences or issue identity cards to non indigenes of their respective states when they were Governors.

Neither persecuted Muslims and non-Catholic Christians in their states or denied Pentecostal Churches the right to buy land and build Churches when they were Governors.

As Governor of his state Asiwaju protected and prevented Churches from being demolished even when they were built on disputed land and he has been doing so both when he was Governor and for the last 20 years.

After he left power in Lagos state many were marked for demolition but he used his good offices with his numerous successor Governers to stop it in the name of public interest and state security.

I can cite many examples of this and I know the Churches he saved.

He did the same for many mosques as well.

He also granted more land to Churches than any other Governor in the history of Nigeria when he held power in Lagos which puts a lie to the suggestion that he wishes to Islamise our nation and he supported NASFAT the strong and pacifist Islamic revival movement in the South West.

On his part as Governor of Adamawa state Waziri ensured that a Christian took over from him even even though there was opposition to it from some Muslims in his state.

Unlike Obi neither Asiwaju nor Waziri have been going from mosque to mosque or Church to Church dangerously stirring up and inciting the passions of believers, preaching religious politics and hate from the pulpit and attempting to set us on the path of a cataclysmic and blood curdling sectarian war which will bring Nigeria to her knees and eventually an abrupt and bloody end.

Neither have links with IPOB and neither have used the symbol of IPOB on any of their businesses or business products like Obi has done.

A vote for Obi takes us one step closer to the break-up of Nigeria and a second civil war because that is precisely and simply what he really wants.

Whether it is an ethnic war, a religious war or both I do not know but his secret desire is to push us to the brink of that war.

And guess what? So far he is doing pretty well in that respect by creating clearer and deeper fault lines of division and potential conflict.

A clear example is his refusal to condemn the brutal killing and killers in the South East known as unknown gunmen who kidnap and murder anyone and everyone including our security personnel.

Peter says he refuses to condemn these barbaric creatures and cruel beasts because he does not know who they are.

Does this really make sense?

This foul and irresponsible inverted logic can only come from the likes of him.

Evil is evil but Peter refuses to condemn this particular brand of it for reasons best known to himself.

Having fought so desperately and worked so hard for the unity of this country in the past and having been rightly described as one of the greatest heroes of our civil war, I am utterly baffled and flabbergasted at OBJ’s endorsement of such a divisive, deceptive, insensitive, callous, irresponsible and totally unreliable character other than to say perhaps he just believes that the Presideny ought to go to the S.E. .

If that is the case fair enough and he is certainly entitled to his views and opinion but surely the SE have better men to offer for the Presidency like Ugwuanyi, Umahi and others than a closet IPOB supporter and a man under whose tenure hundreds of dead bodies, who were apparantly victims of state-sponsored terrorism and murder under his watch, were found floating in Oji River when he was Governor.

I respect and love Baba OBJ, I always will and unlike others I believe that his record in public office was extraordinary, unassailable and spectacular.

In my view no-one can take that from him and it is a matter of public record.

Love him or hate him that is the truth.

He was not infallible and he was not an angel but he was a great and inspiring leader who brought Nigeria back from the brink as a civilian President.

That is my opinion and I will never shy away from saying so.

However I think his rabid opposition to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu particularly is misplaced, sad and unfortunate.

I also believe it is rooted in something personal which is deeper, darker and more sinister than mere politics and this saddens me deeply.

When it comes to Waziri Atiku I think he still harbours a deep- set hatred and animosity for him for the undoubted atrocities he committed against him when he was President and when the latter was his Vice.

Yet surely in life and particularly as a Christian there is a place for mercy and forgiveness.

Yet whatever the real reasons that he dislikes these two men intensely and believes neither are fit to lead Nigeria, whether political or emotional, the endorsement of a featherweight, fairweather friend and mediocre, pretentious and imbecilic candidate like Peter Obi who lacks any real experience of politics at the national level, who is far better suited to be a seller of snake oil or fake motor parts and who simply cannot grasp the history or complexities of Nigerian politics coupled with his asinine and remarkably dull and intellectually stunted running mate, Dati the Daft, has, in my humble opinion, greatly diminished our father Baba OBJ and left him wide open to the kind of bashing and unprecedented criticism and insults he is receiving from all fronts.

Honestly it pains me when I read what people are saying and writing about him since his latest letter because I remain one of his most loyal and loving sons and I am very fond of him.

Yet a loyal and loving son owes his father, if nothing else, one thing and one thing alone: the bitter truth.

And that bitter truth is that his endorsement of Peter Obi is the biggest mistake that he has made ever since he came into politics in 1999 and it is nothing but an exercise in futility.

Obi will not only lose woefully and may well be driven into fourth place but he may also lose his deposit and much more.

(FFK)

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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo used to be a chimera. His influence was mythical yet sweeping. In the past, Nigeria was too small to contain his stature — as he dominated the horizons across Africa and beyond. He lived up to his legend of being a human Orisa. He is, perhaps, still one of the most respected leaders out of Africa.

But Obasanjo’s influence within Nigeria appears to have ebbed over the years. His words seem to have lost lustre and his presence vacant of command. Perhaps, when a masquerade comes out to perform all the time, and sometimes without an invitation, it loses its allure and charm.

From 2007 (after he left office) up until 2014, Obasanjo had his wonder and thunder. His position on national matters mattered and was sought after. His missives were denominated ‘’letter bombs’’ for their sheer quality to inflict maximum casualty on the target and sway public opinion.

In 2013, former President Goodluck Jonathan suffered ‘’casualty’’ from one of Obasanjo’s missives. Obasanjo wrote an open letter which technically put a nail to the re-election bid of Jonathan.

In the letter titled ‘’Before it is too late’’, Obasanjo accused Jonathan of many malfeasances. He said: ‘’Allegation of keeping over 1000 people on political watch list rather than criminal or security watch list and training snipers and other armed personnel secretly and clandestinely acquiring weapons to match for political purposes like Abacha and training them where Abacha trained his own killers, if it is true, it cannot augur well for the initiator, the government, and the people of Nigeria.’’

He also accused Jonathan of cleaving Nigeria apart – along the weak seams of north-south and Christian-Muslim. According to him, Jonathan was favouring and promoting his Ijaw kin to the disadvantage of other Nigerians.

Obasanjo’s letter was well-celebrated. It was held up as a definitive and summary verdict on the administration of Jonathan. Obasanjo himself was hailed for his ‘’courage and forthrightness’’, and for his audacity to look power in the eye and spit the truth. But all of that changed after the 2015 elections owing to his overbearing deportment.

In 2018, just three years after President Buhari came to power, Obasanjo applied himself to his accustomed enterprise. He dispatched an open letter to Buhari, accusing him of incompetence. According to Obasanjo: ‘’The lice of poor performance in government – poverty, insecurity, poor economic management, nepotism, gross dereliction of duty, condonation of misdeed – if not outright encouragement of it, lack of progress and hope for the future, lack of national cohesion and poor management of internal political dynamics and widening inequality – are very much with us today.’’

In the build-up to the 2019 elections, Obasanjo fired a salvo. He accused Buhari of failing to address insecurity, of nepotism and of sundry ineptitudes. But Buhari earned the endorsement of Nigerians to serve a second time as president.

Obasanjo said: ‘’For over ten years, for four of which you have been the captain of the ship, Boko Haram has menacingly ravaged the land and in spite of government’s claim of victory over Boko Haram, the potency and the activities of Boko Haram, where they are active, remain undiminished, putting lie to government’s claim. The main issue, if I may dare say, is poor management or mismanagement of diversity which, on the other hand, is one of our greatest and most important assets. As a result, the very onerous cloud is gathering. And the rain of destruction, violence, disaster, and disunity can only be the outcome.’’

In 2021, Obasanjo reprised himself in another letter to Buhari. But over time, his take or opinion on national matters has become tepid, vapid, and lacking in magnetism to hold public interest and to sway public opinion. His opinions have lost the power to cause mortal damage. And those who once eulogised him as the incarnation of courage, truth, and honesty are now his fiercest critics.

It seems that Obasanjo wrestles with anyone he fails to control and abominates anyone who resists his impingements.

Has the Ebora Owu been demystified? What is the worth of Obasanjo’s endorsement? In the heat of the political liaisons in 2022, Obasanjo’s hilltop mansion in Abeokuta, Ogun state, became a cynosure of political pilgrimage as politicians fell over themselves to seek his endorsement of their bids. The rat race for Obasanjo’s endorsement. At the time, supporters of Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party, claimed that the former governor had the blessing of Obasanjo. Although Obasanjo concealed his intentions in pretensions of statesmanship, it was well-noised he was favourably disposed towards Peter Obi’s candidature.

But the former president has cast aside the veil, and has declared support for Peter Obi, today, January 1, 2023.

The truth is Obasanjo’s endorsement cannot take Peter Obi to the presidency. It cannot take him anywhere.

Obasanjo is a big masquerade. His place in Nigeria’s political progression is undisputed. When iconic leaders are to be counted, Obasanjo will have a place. But in the cycle of life, there comes a time when the big masquerade will have to retire – when there is no one left in the crowd.

The post What’s The Worth Of Obasanjo’s Endorsement? appeared first on Daily Dates Nigeria.