Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, was right to describe President Muhammadu Buhari as an ethnic bigot and religious fanatic in 2003.
Tinubu had made the remark while campaigning against Buhari, who the then candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP.
In a statement released on Sunday, Obasanjo made reference to Tinubu’s scathing attack on Buhari, saying “Bola Tinubu’s statement about Muhammadu Buhari in 2003 is fairly prophetic, ‘Muhammadu Buhari is an agent of destabilisation, ethnic bigot and religious fanatic who, if given the chance, would ensure the disintegration of the country. His ethnocentrism would jeopardise Nigeria’s national unity.’”
Likewise the former President also made reference to a former Second Republic federal lawmaker, Dr. Junaid Mohammed.
He said, “Junaid Mohammed was eloquent on the issue of nepotism. But if as we were told that Buhari is nepotic because he does not trust others, why should others trust him to continue to put their fate and lives in his hand?
“Trust begets trust. They cannot be trusted for ‘sensitive’ appointment but they can be sent out to campaign for his re-election. Who is fooling who?”
In the statement, he also said President Buhari’s administration is reminiscent of late dictator, Sanni Abacha.
He said: “Today, another Abacha Era is here. The security institutions are being misused to fight all critics and opponents of Buhari and to derail our fledgling democracy. EFCC, Police and Code of Conduct Tribunal are also being equally misused to deal with those Buhari sees as enemies for criticising him or as those who may not do his bidding in manipulating election results. Criticism, choice and being different are inherent trade mark of democracy. If democracy is derailed or aborted, anarchy and authoritarianism will automatically follow.
“Today, as in the day of Abacha, Nigerians must rise up and do what they did in the time of Abacha. Churches and Mosques prayed. International community stood by us Nigerians. I was a beneficiary and my life was saved. Well-meaning Nigerians took appropriate actions and made sacrifices, some supreme, some less than supreme but God had the final say and He took the ultimate action.”