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Tag: atiku

  • Atiku’s one-term presidential gambit

    FORMER vice president Atiku Abubakar has never hidden his ambition to be president. But while his ambition has remained pristine and enduring, his approach has morphed considerably, leading him to constantly engage in one of the most dramatic ideological and political flip-flops ever. And since he voiced his ambition around 2003, and came a cropper as he encountered the immovable aurochs, ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo, the former vice president has not only been inconsolable, he has had the misfortune of repeatedly encountering destiny wreckers of all shapes and sizes. In addition, as it is now becoming obvious, in all his presidential election adventures, he has managed to acquire a desperation that is both unyielding and paradoxically edifying.

    It is safe to conclude that Alhaji Abubakar will remain unrelenting in pursuing his goal. But hate him or love him, he is exposed and cosmopolitan, far more than President Muhammadu Buhari, and with extensive contacts around the country. He is far better than the president at mentoring, even though like all Nigerian mentors, he has had great difficulty in retaining the loyalty of his mentees. He is also far more cerebral than the president, possessing a capacity to engage meaningfully in group discussions and managing at the end to own the ideas peddled in those ardent and sometimes recondite fora. He is not a philosopher, not even close, either of politics or economics, but he possesses passing understanding of current national issues sufficient enough to help him navigate crises and propound solutions.

    Yet, as engaging as he is, and quite as fecund as he is in mentoring, and impressive as he is also at maintaining wide contacts and friendships accross the country, Alhaji Abubakar’s qualities have been incommensurately unable to give wings to his presidential ambition. He was inveigled into abandoning his ambition in 2003 to his eternal regret, crushed in 2007 in a manner that shamed Nigerian constitution and the rule of law, and was outmanoeuvred and defanged in 2015 before he could properly join the battle. It is not an exaggeration, considering his 72 years age, to regard the 2019 presidential poll as his last attempt. If his politics had a hint of urgency before, now, in his last try, it is encapsulated in tonnes of desperation. This is understandable.

    His chances of getting the ticket in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where he has again defected, are not quite as bright as when he rejoined the party. There are much younger politicians in the opposition party who are also interested in the ultimate prize, men much more acceptable on account of a cruel twist of fate working against Alhaji Abubakar. But none has his reach or experience, not to talk of his wealth and stature. Should he get the ticket, it is not clear of what use that would be in a national contest where the presumed APC candidate will run on credentials that are much more hype than reality. But there is no proof he will get the ticket. The country seems to have made up its mind cruelly against him, bewitched by propaganda and half-truths that are closer to fiction than reality.

    This may be why Alhaji Abubakar, perhaps out of desperation than anything else, is promising to do only one term should he be elected president. In an interview with the Sunday edition of ThisDay newspaper, the former vice president swore upon his honour to do only one term. That, in his thinking, should mollify the grief of southerners who fear that a new northern-born president, other than the truculent President Buhari, might want two terms instead of the one term they would be willing to endure should the APC candidate return in 2019.

    The former vice president has demonstrated enough courage and competence to rule Nigeria far better than past presidents, should he be offered the chance. But he has made enough enemies, some of them bitter and intransigent, to deny him the ultimate prize. He will need a miracle to get the ticket, and a greater miracle to win the election. Nothing is impossible, however. But given the present mood of the country, few Nigerians are willing to make him more than a cipher in the race, even if he were to promise utopia and eternal life.

  • I ‘ll create jobs, revive economy, says Atiku

    A presidential aspirant in Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has said he will create jobs to revive the economy.

    Atiku, who spoke yesterday at the party’s secretariat in Enugu, described President Muhammadu Buhari’s government as one replete with lies.

    Support groups canvasing for the former vice- president defied control by security agents to welcome him.

    The groups in the morning took over roads leading to Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, causing gridlock from Emene to GRA state office of the PDP where Atiku addressed party members.

    Atiku said: “This government is a government of liars. They promised three million jobs per annum, but Nigeria has been losing three million jobs every year. This job loss has brought the worst form of insecurity in the country.

    “We are facing challenging times in Nigeria. Today, economy is at its lowest ebb and the greatest challenge is unemployment.”

    The former vice-president said the 2019 general election would be Nigeria’s most crucial poll.

    He said citizens must ensure their votes count.

    “This is the most crucial election. Make sure you vote and when you vote, stand to protect your votes,” the presidential aspirant said.

    He said experience stood him out from the crowd, noting that he was the only former vice- president running for 2019 Presidential election.

    Atiku said: “No other government has surpassed our strides in governance. So if you are looking for an experienced person, I am here; if you are looking for a politician that can create jobs and unite Nigeria, I am here.”

    The former National Chairman of PDP, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, said Atiku was the only candidate who would implement restructuring, improve the economy and education, create jobs and eradicate poverty and killings in the country.

    “Atiku loves Christians same as Muslims. He has the capacity to stop killings and bloodshed. He will turn us round on the path of development. He is the man who will rescue PDP and Nigeria,” Nwodo said.

    Enugu State PDP Vice Chairman Chief Innocent Ezeoha said Atiku as an in-law to Ndigbo was at home in Enugu State.

    “You’ve seen the crowd starting from the airport, which confirms you are a son of the soil. We will continue to pray for you.”

    Journalists were yesterday shut out from covering the visit of Atiku to the Government House, Enugu.

    The reporters had accompanied the convoy of the presidential aspirant from the state secretariat of the party after meeting and addressing party stalwarts on his ambition.

    On arrival at the Government House gate, Atiku and his entourage were allowed to drive in, while journalists, including Atiku’s media aide, Paul Ibe, were stopped from entering.

    It took prolonged entreaties from the correspondents before one of the journalists was allowed to drive in Atiku’s media aide.

    Stern looking security men, although polite, explained to the journalists that they were acting on instructions from above.

     

     

     

  • Atiku: I’m not desperate to be president

    Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has said he is not desperate to be president.

    Atiku, a presidential aspirant in Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who noted that he would not leave the party even if he lost the primaries, said he would have become president in 2003 if he were desperate.

    Addressing reporters after meeting Benin monarch Oba Ewuare II, as part of his nationwide consultation tour, Atiku said he stepped down for the late MKO Abiola because of the country’s interest.

    He said: “What do you expect my critics to say? I can run as many times as I want. I am fit and qualified and I still have ideas to put this country in the right path. What is wrong in trying again and again?

    “I am not desperate to become president. If I were desperate, I would have taken the presidency in 2003. If I were desperate, I would not have stepped down for Abiola. I have the interest of this country at heart.”

    Oba Ewuare II said he would pray to God and his ancestors for the emergence of leaders, who would cater for the poor.

    He urged politicians to tackle insecurity, saying Nigeria would remain underdeveloped if security matters were not prioritised.

    The monarch, who spoke when Atiku visited his palace, said Nigeria would remain indivisible despite the security challenges.

    A woman, Grace Osagie, collapsed at the Benin Airport while waiting for the arrival of Atiku.

    The woman slumped while standing in the sun alongside other PDP supporters to give Atiku a rousing welcome.

    Sympathisers poured water on her to revive her.

    Atiku later met Edo PDP delegates at the party secretariat.

     

  • I am not desperate for Presidency – Atiku

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said on Tuesday he is not desperate to be President of the country.

    Atiku, who reiterated that he would not leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) even if he fails to secure the party’s presidential ticket, said he would have become President in 1993 if he was desperate.

    Speaking to journalists after meeting with the Bénin Monarch, Oba Ewuare II, as part of his nationwide consultation, Atiku said he stepped down for the late Chief Moshood Abiola because of the interest in the country.

    He said: “What do you expect my critics to say? I can contest as many times as I want. I am fit and qualified and I still have ideas to put this country on the right path. What is wrong in trying again and again?

    “I am not desperate to become President. If I was desperate, I would have taken the presidency in 1993. If I was desperate, I would not have step down for Abiola. I have the interest of this country.”

    The Bénin monarch has said he would always pray to God and his ancestors for emergence of leaders that would cater for the poor.

    He urged politicians to tackle security challenges in the country, saying Nigeria would remain underdeveloped if security matters are not thoroughly handled.

     

     

     

     

  • Obasanjo, Atiku and vengefulness incorporated

    IN the midst of the defection conundrums inflaming the entire country into moral and political outrage, former president Olusegun Obasanjo found the sense of humour to inflict God at his old nemesis, former vice president Atiku Abubakar. Dr Obasanjo has a PhD in Theology, claims to have found God in prison, and has written a few sophomoric texts on divinity and man’s manifest destiny. So, when he brought God into his re-enacted, an indeed unending, quarrel with Alhaji Abubakar, few were surprised. It is his custom.

    A few weeks ago, in the heat of his wrangle with President Muhammadu Buhari, whom he regards as inflexible, Dr Obasanjo reportedly gave the tenuous impression he was willing to back anyone for the presidency in 2019, be he the former vice president, simply to thwart the president’s second term ambition and rub his nose in the dirt. It seemed logical. For, having described the president as lacking the capacity to lead Nigeria, and having dismissed him as incompetent and nepotistic, he has felt obligated to sustain the bitterness against the insouciant general, and perhaps too, to underscore his own self-righteousness. The putative support for Alhaji Abubakar astounded many, but few were willing to dismiss it as inconsistent with both his vengeful person and unorthodox politics.

    But after hearing from Dr Obasanjo in an interview he recently had with Premium Times, it became clear that on the matter of his support for Alhaji Abubakar’s 2019 presidential ambition, the former president spoke with tongue in cheek. Indeed, it is not unlikely that he was flabbergasted by the media twist given his so-called support for his former vice president. He never intended support, and as he swore most vigorously, certainly not for someone he was determined to nurture as an eternal enemy. Hear Dr Obasanjo: “How can I be on the same side with Atiku? To do what? If I support Atiku for anything, God will not forgive me. If I do not know, yes. But once I know, Atiku can never enjoy my support. I do not have personal grudges with anyone…If you do not do well for Nigeria, you do not do well for all of us. It is not a question of working with or not working with an individual, If you are working for the good of Nigeria, I am working with you. If you are not working for the good of Nigeria, it does not matter who you are, I am not working with you. Most of you do not understand the way I operate. And I thought your own paper will understand better. I know Atiku very well. And I have mentioned my position with Atiku. My position has not changed.”

    Then he concludes facetiously: “On a personal note, If my children are getting married, he has sent representatives. If his children are getting married, I have sent representatives. That is social. That is not political. But on political ground, my position has not changed. If I support Atiku for a political office other than the one I supported him in the past when I did not know him, maybe; but not now that I know him, God will not forgive me.”

    Alhaji Atiku may have sarcastically advised the former president to return to God for absolution, seeing how unforgiving he has become in the face of his Christian conscience, but it is not certain that a change of heart would be possible. Dr Obasanjo has attributed his malice to God’s wish; it is unlikely that in his theology, that same God could inveigle him into reaching some accommodation with the former vice president. There will be no such luck in moderating or extirpating his vengefulness. He will keep it to his dying day, and he seems quite pleased to sustain that position.

    Dr Obasanjo is entitled to support anyone of his choice, or to deny anyone he loathes support. Perhaps Alhaji Atiku reminds the ex-president of certain humiliations in the past, as Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka recently alluded when he spoke on the manners and foibles of the ageing but still fit former army general. If so, there will be no reconciliation, not here, not in the hereafter. If Alhaji Abubakar intends to pursue his ambition successfully, he will have to discount the influence and support of Dr Obasanjo, for the former president does not take prisoners, Christian or animist.

  • Atiku’s presidential ambition, Obasanjo and matters arising

    I am not surprised with the recent statement credited to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, that he will never support Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s ambition of becoming president, because God will not forgive him if he supports the Turakin Adamawa’s aspiration of ruling Nigeria.

    Well, one thing for sure is the fact that I’m not Atiku’s

    spokesperson, that can hold brief for him, but as a concerned citizen of Adamawa State and a Nigerian, I write to set the record straight and, at the time, dissect who is Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

    Chief Olusegun Obasanjo is somebody who wants to be heard. His romance with who gets the ticket of the PDP is a misnomer having torn his membership card of the party in full glare of the public.

    One thing for sure is if God destined Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the former vice-president to become president, thousands of

    Chief Olusegun Obasanjo cannot stop it.

    There is nothing that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo can do to truncate the political ambition of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who has already emboldened his name as a quintessential and erudite politician that has built bridges across the cultural and religious divides of this great country.

    Atiku Abubakar is a formidable political juggernaut that does not need introduction and induction in the art of politics for the fact that whether Chief Olusegun Obasanjo supports him or not, he will sail through, especially now that he is aspiring to be the candidate of the opposition PDP for the 2019 presidential election.

    Atiku Abubakar is a quintessential politician who believes in an entrenched democracy. And it is because of this that he fought former President Olusegun Obasanjo, when he (Obasanjo) attempted to elongate his tenure in the famous third term bid.

    The man known as Atiku Abubakar is somebody with a large heart that accommodates all and sundry. He is very friendly with the low and the mighty on the political turf.

    It is worth mentioning that he and Titi Ajanaku, were the people who visited Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and conscripted him to join the formidable political structure called the Peoples Democratic Party to vie for the presidency after his release from the Yola Prison.

    During their first tenure, Atiku Abubakar was the wheel behind the success of Obasanjo’s administration, especially the privatisation programme.

    It is imperative to stress the point that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo cannot be a stumbling block to  the aspiration of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in whatever ramification because he is a shrewd politician that is accepted in all the parts of the country.

     

    • By Usman Santuraki, Jambutu, Jimeta-Yola.

  • Speakers’ Conference Chairman, Atiku extol Osinbajo’s timely action

    CHAIRMAN of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar yesterday applauded the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), for his timely action on the invasion of the National Assembly by Department of State Security (DSS) operatives.

    Obasa, who is also the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, said Osinbajo’s action has succeeded in cooling the already heated polity and brought credibility to the Federal Government both at home and abroad.

    “The acting President has acted timely and this has confirmed that the Presidency has no hand in the invasion of the National Assembly. This has brought credibility to the government and show its sincere commitment to rule of law and justice,” the Chairman of Conference Speakers said.

    Obasa condemned the invasion, describing it as a desecration on the sanctity of the Parliament.

    Atiku hails Osinbajo for halting ‘illegal blockage’

     

    Abubakar, in a statement issued by his Media Aide, Paul Ibe, hailed Osinbajo for listening to the clarion call of Nigerians and taking action to halt the “illegal and anti-democratic blockage” of the National Assembly by DSS operatives.

    He said by sacking Daura, the acting president had given meaning to the cries of Nigerians that they would not tolerate such anti-democratic actions.

     

     

  • Atiku condemns DSS siege on National Assembly

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Tuesday condemned the siege by operatives of the Department of Security Service (DSS) on the National Assembly.

    Operatives of the DSS had on Tuesday morning blocked the National Assembly entrance  barring anyone from going into the complex.

    The lawmakers were later allowed into the chamber, while journalists and other staff of  the National Assembly were barred from the entering.

    Atiku, in a statement posted on his official and verified Facebook page, said the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, guarantees both the independence of the legislature and separation of powers..

    He said: “The attention of former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has been drawn to an illegal and undemocratic attempt by fascist forces to break into the National Assembly for the purpose of furthering the agenda to force a change in the Nigerian Senate’s leadership.

    “Atiku Abubakar completely condemns this atrocity and calls on all those involved to put Nigeria first and abandon this madness.

    “The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, guarantees both the independence of the legislature and separation of powers. Nigeria is a democracy not a military dictatorship and we the people will never return to tyranny.

    “Atiku Abubakar calls on President Muhammadu Buhari and Acting President Yemi Osinbajo to stop hiding behind one finger and live up to their responsibility of upholding the constitution and law and order, which they swore to on May 29, 2015.

    “We warned that if what occurred in Benue last week was not checked on time, it would escalate to the federal level. Today we are seeing that warning in play.”

    “The acting President, being himself a Professor of Law, ought to know that setting such a precedent is an invitation to anarchy.

    “There are better uses for our security forces at this time than to lay siege to our citadels of democracy. Our people are languishing in the midst of unprecedented insecurity and nationwide killings. To thus deploy our security forces in this present manner whilst Nigerians face these challenges is an abdication of responsibility to say the least.

    “All Nigerians should be watchful and mobilised to defend democracy. We must remember that ‘eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”

  • Obasanjo to Atiku: God will never forgive me if I support you for president

    FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo has ruled out the possibility of his support for the presidential ambition of his former deputy, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

    Obasanjo told online publication, Premium Times, in Abeokuta, that the former vice president should not count on his support in next year’s election, or at any other time.

    Atiku recently formally declared his interest to seek the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)   for the election.

    “How can I be on the same side with Atiku? To do what?,” Obasanjo asked rhetorically in response to a question during the interview.

    He added: “If I support Atiku for anything, God will not forgive me. If I do not know, yes, but once I know, Atiku can never enjoy my support.”

    Obasanjo dismissed suggestions that he had personal grudges against Atiku, saying: “If you do not do well for Nigeria, you do not do well for all of us.

    “It is not a question of working with or not working with an individual.

    “If you are working for the good of Nigeria, I am working with you. If you are not working for the good of Nigeria it does not matter who you are I am not working with you.”

    Obasanjo fell out with Atiku midway into their  tenure as president  and vice president between 1999 and 2003 but managed to patch up their differences to contest the 2003 election together.

    But once they emerged winners in that election, their hostilities resumed full blast and have not  been able to mend fences ever since despite pretensions from  both sides.

    The former president recently formed what he called Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM) to, in his words, rescue Nigeria from its present mess.

    The group  has since adopted a political party, African Democratic Congress, for the purpose of  realizing  its dream of a new Nigeria and take  over from President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The ADC has gone into an alliance with the main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and others to present a common candidate against Buhari next year.

    Asked if he would support Atiku in the event he emerged as the coalition’s candidate, Obasanjo retorted: “I know Atiku very well. And I have mentioned my position with Atiku. My position has not changed.

    “If my children are getting married, he has sent representatives. If his children are getting married, I have sent representatives. That is social. That is not political.

    “On political ground, my position has not changed. If I support Atiku for a political office other than the one I supported him in the past when I did not know him, maybe, but not now that I know him, God will not forgive me.”

  • Soyinka: Obasanjo knelt down for Atiku in 2003

    •Ex-President ‘sabotaged Bola Ige’

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo knelt down for then Vice President Atiku Abubakar in his desperate bid to secure the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2003 poll, according to Professor Wole Soyinka.

    The revelation came yesterday as the Nobel laureate gave a rare insight into the high-stake lobbying and negotiations that preceded the PDP’s presidential primaries in which Atiku was highly favoured to win at the expense of his then boss Obasanjo.

    Besides, Soyinka spoke on how genuine efforts by Chief Bola Ige to reposition the energy sector as Power Minister between 1999 and 2000 were sabotaged by Obasanjo.

    Soyinka was replying a question at a special reading session to mark the presentation of his latest book, “Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes?: Gani’s Unfinished Business”,  at the Freedom Park, Lagos.

    Speaking at the event, Mr. Louis Odion, one-time Edo State Information Commissioner and The Nation columnist, asked the literary giant whether he believed a sensational claim last year by Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose of witnessing Obasanjo going down on his knees in Tripoli before the late President Muamar Ghaddafi in his desperate bid to secure the Libyan strongman’s  support for an extension of his chairmanship of the African Union (AU), since the former Nigerian President has neither denied nor confirmed the account.

    Fayose’s account was published by an Abuja-based monthly magazine, The Interview.

    Ghaddafi was younger than Obasanjo. Libya is smaller in size and population compared to Nigeria.

    Responding, Soyinka said he had no cause to doubt Fayose, given his knowledge of how Obasanjo did the “unthinkable” when his aspiration for a second term in office was similarly threatened in 2003.

    Said he: “Before the PDP primaries in January 2003, Obasanjo got everyone he knew could reach me on the surface on the earth including Yemi Ogunbiyi and my son, to get me to help him intercede when it was clear that (Abubakar) Atiku was in a position to take his job. He knew Atiku had a lot of regard for me and calls me ‘Uncle’.”

    In the now famous BBC interview few days to PDP’s 2003 primaries, Atiku had declared that he was under tremendous pressure from his supporters to contest the ticket against Obasanjo but was yet to make up his mind in what triggered panic in Obasanjo’s camp.

    “The pressure was intense,” the literary giant recounted. “Of course, I could not have knelt before Atiku not to embark on a course of action that would lead to his boss’ disgrace. But I can confirm to you that Obasanjo as President knelt down before Atiku so that he would not lose his job.

    “But I warned Atiku that for making Obasanjo to kneel down for you, be sure you would have to pay heavily for that. I guess my warning came to pass if you remember Atiku’s dramatic change of fortune once Obasanjo was sworn in for a second term of office.”

    As expected, yesterday’s book reading turned out a day of reminiscences of many bizarre dramas and unsavory episodes that characterised Obasanjo’s reign as two-term president betweeen 1999 and 2007. The panel of disscussants included frontline rights activist-lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) and Mr. Sam Omatseye, author and Chairman of “The Nation” Editorial Board, and was moderated by Mr. Kunle Ajibade, award-winning author and Executive Director of “TheNews/Tempo”.

    The roll-call at the event included literary colossus Prof. J. P. Clark, Colonel Tony Nyiam (retd) and Mr. Jahman Anikulapo.

    Dispelling the notion that the long-running disagreement he has with Obasanjo is personal, Soyinka said his motivation is the desire that those he described as cause of the nation’s problems do not continue to recycle themselves as the solution.

    He also dismissed Obasanjo as a hypocrite for denying that he did not have a hand in the third term agenda in 2006.

    Said the playwright: “I remember I was invited to a conference in Germany around the time the third term game was unfolding in Nigeria. Then, I received this frantic call from officials at the Nigerian embassy who confided in me that they had been told to prepare for Obasanjo’s third term in office. They expressed fears that should it succeed, the country might be plunged into a serious crisis. They were of the view that I could use my leverage to talk to him or help mobilise public opinions to dissuade him.

    “At the conference proper, I made sure I continually made poignant innuendos in the direction Obasanjo sat that day. But, typically, he kept shrugging his shoulders and looking the other way.

    “But when the opportunity came for a closer interaction at the dinner, I pointedly told him that ‘Obasanjo, you know you cannot try third term’. Suddenly, he charged back at me, saying, ‘Wole, you only have one vote!’ I remember the Nigerian envoy then to Germany, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, jovially remarked that, ‘Ah, Mr. President, Wole Soyinka has more than one vote o. You know when he says anything, people listen across the world.’

    “As soon as Obasanjo left the venue, I told Adeniran that ‘with what you’ve just said, be sure you’ve lost your job’. True, soon afterwards, Adeniran lost his job.”

    Corroborating Soyinka, Falana said contrary to Obasanjo’s continued denial, the former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice alluded in her book to how the former Nigerian leader prevailed on George Bush to support his third term bid. This, Falana said, Obasanjo never refuted.

    On the parlous energy situation in the country, Soyinka recalled that Obasanjo did not only frustrate Ige but also humiliated him.

    He said: “This was a man who said after Bola Ige died that we put somebody there, Bola Ige who did not know his left from right. He owes Bola Ige for maligning him, after humiliating him after sabotaging his genuine efforts to transform the power sector. It was sabotage and nothing less than a terrorist act against the electricity supply of the country.

    “Bola Ige was frustrated and his works sabotaged. In fact, he had done his homework before he took office. He summoned a group of experts and mapped out the transformation of the sector. But, he was sabotaged from the inside. Bola Ige asked Obasanjo to remove one Suleman Bello, who was the managing director of the corporation then. The consequences we are suffering today. Obasanjo collaborated and protected the system headed by Mr. Suleman Bello. I dare Obasanjo to meet me one on one on any podium to debate the power project.”