MKO Abiola: Obasanjo was one of architects of June 12 annulment –
Kingibe alleges
Former Secretary to
the Government of the Federation, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, has alleged that
ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo was one of the architects of the annulment of
the June 12, 1993, presidential election.
Kingibe, who was
the running mate of late MKO Abiola under the platform of the defunct Social
Democratic Party, SDP, spoke while appearing on Nigerian Television Authority,
NTA, yesterday.
He stated that
though, Obasanjo attempted to convene a meeting of statesmen to address the
aftermath of the June 12 crisis, President Muhammadu Buhari only attended the
inaugural meeting and stopped because of the direction of the session.
Kingibe said: “In
the aftermath of the annulment, one of the architects of the annulment, former
President Olusegun Obasanjo tried to get some elder statesmen (former
presidents and so on); I think at the African Leadership Forum to see how the
aftermath of the annulment could be addressed or to see how the problems
arising from the annulment could be addressed.
“And I think
President Muhammadu Buhari did attend the meeting once, the inaugural meeting.
I understood that when he (Buhari) saw the direction of the meeting, he decided
not to attend again.
“Every time the
issue of the annulment came up over the years, his position was very clear; he
was very firm that the election was free, fair and there was a clear winner.
And that the annulment was unjustified.
“So, having had the
opportunity, perhaps, to right the wrong, I won’t be surprised he did so
because it is in his character to try and do justice, however, belated and
under whatever circumstances.”
Past leaders laid foundation for Islamisation of Nigeria – CAN backs
Obasanjo
The Christian
Association of Nigeria (CAN) has commended former President Olusegun Obasanjo
for coming out to speak against the alleged planned Fulanization/Islamization
of the country.
CAN also urged the
Federal Government to take the alarm raised by the former President seriously
and act accordingly.
The Christian body
stated this through its National Director, Legal and Public Affairs, Evangelist
Kwamkur Samuel Vondip, on the forthcoming CAN presidential elections and the
state of the nation, in Jos, the Plateau State Capital.
Vondip said, “Level
of insecurity of the nation; the increase and expansion of the activities of
insurgencies, armed bandits, armed robbery, kidnappers, killer Fulani herdsmen
seem to have continued unabated.
“We expect the
government to be bold enough to take responsibility and be sincere in providing
convincing lasting solutions.
“The situation
whereby the government would be denying the increasing rate of insecurity while
the security budget keeps swelling up with increase in casualties amongst the
security operatives, increase in number of victims and cry by communities is
worrisome and calls for serious reflections.
He added that, “We
advocate further for the creation of state police as the major solutions to
ending this communities’ invasions by so called unknown gunmen.
“The inability of
the Federal Government to ensure the release of Leah Sharibu and other abducted
victims of Boko Haram gives us sleeplessness.
“One of the
cardinal promises of President Buhari administration is the end to the reign of
terrorism and ensuring the release of captured victims of insurgents but the
first tenure ended up without achieving maximally such result. We pray and hope
that President Buhari will do everything within his ability to achieve this
goal if he is to be taken more seriously.
Speaking on the
alleged planned Fulanization or Islamization of the country, Vondip said, “CAN
believes that the foundation for Islamisation of Nigeria has since been laid by
the makers of the Nigeria Constitution and some previous leaders of Nigeria.
“Particular
examples are the provisions made in the Constitution for the operation of
Sharia laws and courts. This makes the common law and the Sharia law to be
operating in the same constitution. This naturally has divided the nation into
two and sets the tone for Islamization. The implication of this scenario is
confusion,” he maintained.
“Furthermore, as we
have said before, the registration of Nigeria, (a secular state) as a member of
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) by military fiat is a further
confirmation of deliberate Islamization of the country. This calls for review
if our leaders are sincere with their claim that nobody is Islamizing the
country.”
The Christian body
commended former President Olusegun Obasanjo for speaking against the
aforementioned plan.
“We commend
sincerely the position of the former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun
Obasanjo for opening up against the planned Islamization of Nigeria. The former
President simply repeated what many of our CAN leaders have said before.
“We had even taken
this in written a form to the Presidency for immediate attention. If what
Obasanjo said should be doubted, what is the justification for the community
cleansing by killer Fulani herdsmen who jump on innocent communities in the
night killing them and taking over their communities? He asked.
“We never saw any
far reaching steps taken to bring these killer herdsmen to book!
“What is the
justification for the Federal Government effort to create and maintain cattle
routes or colony for Fulani herders despite their level of impunity? He asked.
“How can you
justify the Federal Government’s establishment of a radio station for Fulani?
(Though this is being denied recently that is was established for nomadic
education).
“Why can’t strict
security measures that silenced the IPOB in few days be taken against Boko
Haram and killer Fulani Herdsmen?
According to CAN,
“We cannot for many years claim that our borders are porous and nothing is done
about it. Nigeria cannot afford to be losing her citizens for years because we
have an uncontrolled border.
“We commend Chief
Obasanjo’s boldness to speak out at this critical period of the nation. We
wonder what will become the fate of Nigeria and Nigerians if respected and bold
leaders like Obasanjo are no more there to speak.
“We call on the
Federal Government to take seriously the alarm raised by Chief Obasanjo and act
on it if they are to be trusted.
Adding that, “Chief
Obasanjo has spoken the mind of many people and we urge that he should never be
intimidated by government for the sake of peace”.
On the fight
against corruption; CAN said, “While quite a number of Nigerians have been
arrested and prosecuted with others undergoing investigation and prosecution,
it is not news that a lot of corrupt former and present leaders are moving
freely suggesting the selective nature of the fight.
“It is a shame to
our nation and for citizens to believe the notion that when you join the team
of the President or the ruling party then ‘your sins are forgiven’.
“The fight against
corruption must go beyond media propaganda and be wholistic and no less,” the
Christian body stressed.
Speaking on the
forthcoming CAN elections, the CAN Official said, “Each bloc was contacted to
submit names of candidates interested in contesting for the office of the
President.
“Three blocs
indicated interest namely, CCN, OAIC and TEKAN/ECWA. The Electoral College
which was inaugurated early May 2019 has sat on the nominations and elected two
out of the three candidates namely Rev. Dr Samson Ayokunle the current
President of CAN who is going for a possible second tenure from CCN and Rev. Dr
Caleb Solomon Ahima from TEKAN/ECWA.
He maintained that,
“From the forgoing, there are only two stages remaining for the election to be
completed.
“The National
Executive Committee (NEC) will vote for the two nominated candidates and the
person with the highest vote will be deemed elected as President while the
runner up will be considered elected as the Vice President.
According him, “The
process will be completed with the final ratification of the two elected
leaders by the National Assembly of the Association at a later date.”
Boko Haram/ISWAP: FG reacts to Obasanjo’s claim on islamization, fulanization of Nigeria/Africa
The federal
government has asked former president Olusegun Obasanjo to withdraw his recent
comments which imputed ethno-religious motive to Boko Haram, ISWAP, terrorism
in the country, as well as apologise to Nigerians.
We had
reported that Obasanjo on Saturday decried
the high level of insecurity in Nigeria, stating that the Federal
Government alone cannot tackle the menace.
He regretted that
both Boko Haram and herdsmen acts of violence were not treated as they should
at the beginning.
According to him,
“They have both incubated and developed beyond what Nigeria cannot handle alone.
They are now combined and internationalized with ISIS in control.
“It is no longer an
issue of lack of education and lack of employment for our youths in Nigeria
which it began as, it is now West African fulanization, African Islamization
and global organized crimes of human trafficking, money laundering, drug
trafficking, gun trafficking, illegal mining and regime change.”
But reacting in a
statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, the Minister of Information and Culture,
Alhaji Lai Mohammed, averred that such “indiscreet, deeply offensive and
patently divisive comments are far below the status of an elder statesman”.
He added that, “It
is particularly tragic that a man who fought to keep Nigeria one is the same
one seeking to exploit the country’s fault lines to divide it in the twilight
of his life”.
The minister stated
that Boko Haram and ISWAP are terrorist organisations pure and simple, adding
that they care little about ethnicity or religion when perpetrating their
senseless killings and destruction.
”Since the Boko
Haram crisis, which has been simmering under the watch of Obasanjo, boiled over
in 2009, the terrorist organisation has killed more Muslims than adherents of
any other religion.
“The terrorist
group blown up more mosques than any other houses of worship and is not known
to have spared any victim on the basis of their ethnicity.
“It is therefore
absurd to say that Boko Haram and its ISWAP variant have as their goal the
‘Fulanisation and Islamisation’ of Nigeria, West Africa or Africa,” he said.
Mohammed pointed
out that President Muhammadu Buhari put to rest the mis-characterization of
Boko Haram as an Islamic organisation when he said, in his inaugural speech in
2015, that ”Boko Haram is a mindless, godless group who are as far away from
Islam as one can think of”.
He reiterated that
Obasanjo’s comments were therefore, “as insensitive and mischievous as they are
as offensive and divisive in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country like
Nigeria”.
“It is wondering
whether there is no limit to how far the former President will go in throwing
poisonous darts at his perceived political enemies.”
The minister noted
that Obasanjo’s prescriptions for ending the Boko Haram/ISWAP crisis, which
include seeking assistance outside the shores of Nigeria, are coming several
years late.
He said President
Buhari had done that and more since assuming office, “hence, the phenomenal
success he has recorded in tackling the terrorists”.
”Shortly after
assuming office in 2015, President Buhari’s first trips outside the country
were to rally the support of Nigeria’s neighbours – Benin, Cameroon, Chad and
Niger – for the efforts to battle the terrorists.
“The President also
rallied the support of the international community, starting with the G7, and
then the US, France
and the UN.
”That explains the
massive degrading of Boko Haram, which has since lost its capacity to carry out
the kind of spectacular attacks for which it became infamous, and the recovery
of every inch of captured Nigerian territory from the terrorists,” he said.
The Minister also
noted that Obasanjo’s call for wide consultations with various groups as part
of the efforts to tackle the Boko Haram crisis has been neutralised by his
ill-advised comments which have served more to alienate a large number of
Nigerians, who are offended by his tactless and distasteful postulation.
He called on the
former president, whom he said took bullets for Nigeria’s unity, not to allow
personal animosity to override his love for a united Nigeria.
"There is nothing like Fulanisation
agenda as alleged by Obasanjo" – Senator Shehu Sani
Senator
representing Kaduna Central in the National Assembly, Shehu Sani, has said
there is no such thing as ‘fulanization’ agenda orchestrated to have the Fulani
tribe dominate Africa.
The Senator stated
this in a tweet on his official Twitter handle yesterday in reaction to the
comments by former President Olusegun Obasanjo on the menace of Boko Haram
insurgency and killer herdsmen.
The Senator also
debunked the claim that President Muhammadu Buhari is supporting insurgents.
However, he noted
that there are alleged issues of nepotism under Buhari’s government like
preceding administrations.
Senator Sani wrote:
“It’s true that the insurgents have a theocratic agenda, but it’s a mirage.
“It’s not true that
the President is supporting the insurgents to achieve that.
“There is also
nothing like ‘Fulanization’. But nepotism is a reality, like other previous
administrations.”
It could be
recalled that Obasanjo had at a church event in Delta State last Saturday
claimed that the twin evils of Boko Haram and killer herdsmen were
no longer issues of lack of education and employment for our youth in Nigeria
but now a “West African Fulanization, Islamization and global organised crimes
of human trafficking, money laundering, drug trafficking, gun trafficking,
illegal mining and regime change.”
