The spokesperson for President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign, Femi Fani-Kayode, has come down hard on former President Olusegun Obasanjo over his comments that Mr. Jonathan is planning a “Gbagbo treatment” for Nigeria.
Mr. Obasanjo, who addressed journalists at his hilltop residence in Abeokuta on Saturday, said Mr. Jonathan may be working towards a controversial poll and possibly exit from office the same way former Ivorian president, Laurent Gbagbo, did in his country.
The former President advised Mr. Jonathan not to destroy his name for selfish reasons.
In a swift reaction, Mr. Fani-Kayode who also served as minister and spokesperson for Mr. Obasanjo’s administration took strong exception to Mr. Obasanjo’s remarks.
“We reject President Obasanjo’s very serious and grave allegations and we are not in the least bit disturbed by them because we know that they have no basis in truth, rationality or reason,” Mr. Fani-Kayode said.
“The days of anyone attempting to rule by proxy or through surrogates are long over because we have all come of age. President Jonathan is ready for this election and the PDP will win it hands down despite all the lies and propaganda that is being peddled by the opposition and their new found friends. That is the bitter truth and those that do not like it should learn to live with it.”
See the full text of his statement below
Subject: Response to Obasanjo by Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, Director of Media and Publicity, PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation.
It is sad and unfortunate that President Olusegun Obasanjo, a father of the nation and a man that we all revere and have immense respect for, could have misread the situation so badly.
It is simply not true that President Goodluck Jonathan wishes to remain in power at all costs and the suggestion that he has a hidden agenda or that he somehow imposed his will on INEC by getting them to postpone the elections is baseless and absurd.
The security chiefs made their recommendations and there were numerous other challenges that INEC had which caused them to postpone the elections for six weeks. This was INEC’s decision and not Jonathan’s.
The reasons for that postponement were profound and legitimate and we have made it clear all along that whether the election was on the 14th February or any other day President Jonathan is more than ready.
President Goodluck Jonathan has also made it clear that no matter what happens, the handover date of 29 May will stand after the elections have been fought and won. What more does President Obasanjo want to hear?
It is most uncharitable and unfair for him to suggest that President Jonathan wishes to remain in power by hook or by crook because that is not the nature of Jonathan. It is even worse for him to compare him to President Laurent Gbagbo.
To Jonathan, politics is not a matter of do or die and President Obasanjo knows this more than anyone else. We will respond to President Obasanjo in full at the appropriate time but the truth is that we will not allow him or anyone else to distract us from the task that lies ahead.
We have an election to fight and to win and that remains our primary focus. We reject President Obasanjo’s very serious and grave allegations and we are not in the least bit disturbed by them because we know that they have no basis in truth, rationality or reason.
The days of anyone attempting to rule by proxy or through surrogates are long over because we have all come of age. President Jonathan is ready for this election and the PDP will win it hands down despite all the lies and propaganda that is being peddled by the opposition and their new found friends. That is the bitter truth and those that do not like it should learn to live with it.
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