Reactions to these allegations, prominent figures across the country dismissed Obasanjo’s claims, believing his own government was plagued by corruption.
Obasancho lacks credibility for accusing others – Giray
Senator Abubakar Girei, a former MP from Adamawa State University, said Obasanjo had no right to mark any government as corruption given the extent of fraud characterized by his tenure.
Girei, who represented the Adamava Central Senate District between 1999 and 2003, claimed he had first-hand knowledge of Obasancho’s so-called corruption deal.
“Obasanjo is the most unqualified accusation of Buhari or any corrupt person in the past president.,” Gille said.
He recalls how Obasanjo allegedly manipulated the Senate to impose Evans Enwerem as Senate president, just to let lawmakers impeach him later and replace him with Chuba Okadigbo.
Girei further challenged Obasanjo to explain how his government spent 16 billion electricity projects.
He said:There may be some people around Buhari who may not have upright people, but to this day, Buhari is still an upright person. ”
In Obasanjo’s criticism of the Tinubu government, Girei dismissed these claims as unfounded and urged the former president to allow Tinubu to focus on governance.
“Obasanjo, who served as president for eight years, showed little results, should keep Tinubu alone and continue to focus on his elected job,” he said.
Sani to Obasanjo: Providing evidence for your allegations
Anthony SaniThe former secretary-general of the Arewa Consulting Forum (ACF) accused Obasanjo of constantly undermining Nigerian leaders other than himself.
“Current President Obasanjo claims that corruption under Buhari is worse, and that corruption under President Bola Tinubu is worse than their predecessors, and many Nigerians hope that the former president will support his claims through some trend analysis and evidence.,” he said.
He added that as a former president, Obasanjo should not do “Accusation” and concrete evidence should be provided to support his claim.
Regarding concerns about the 15 trillion Lagos-Calabal coastal highway project, Sani said Nigerians are worried because of “Competitive requirements for limited resources“, but stressed that Obasanjo should provide more details about why he thinks the project is wasted.
Odili to Obasanjo: Halliburton scandal happens under your watch
Dr. Ifeanyi Odili, president of the Democratic Movement (CD), rejected Obasanjo’s claim, reminding him that one of Nigeria’s worst corruption cases, Halliburton scandal occurred during his presidency.
He said: “I don’t think Buhari’s government is by far the most corrupt government in Nigeria. What about Obasanjo’s government? Can he claim to be a saint of the entire government?transparent
Odili further argued that Obasanjo’s government had more corruption cases than Buhari, adding: “The Democratic Movement once wrote to him to leave Nigerian politics. He should stop imposing people. He is old and can retire. He was so uneasy. He just wanted to be heard all the time. He wants to control the president, he wants to control everyone. He can’t continue that way. He should go to rest.transparent
The Halliburton bribery scandal paid Nigerian officials between 1994 and 2004, resulting in a $382 million settlement between Halliburton and the U.S. Department of Justice. While some were prosecuted, there were no senior officials in Nigeria.
Adebayo: Obasanjo holds the worst election in Nigeria
honor. Adewale Adebayo, president of the Allied Movement (APM), accused Obasanjo of overseeing “the worst election in Nigerian history” and hosting a government full of corruption and political persecution.
He said:In addition to the worst elections in Nigerian history, the Obasanjo government was trapped in greed, corruption, hunting and the most miserable territory, his government killed our own Bola Ige. ”
He described Obasanjo as selfish and called on him to stop criticizing the current president.
Adebayo also defended the Lagos-Calabar Highway project, calling it a “game-changer” that will improve regional connectivity in Nigeria.
He said:Obasanjo should stop all these crying and focus on God in search of forgiveness of all his wrongdoing as a lucky leader, bad for his mission. ”
Buhari’s government has corruption problems – Royagodia
Katsina-based civil rights activist Dr. Bashir Ruwagodia admitted that while Buhari himself was honest, his government failed to properly address corruption.
Ruwagodia, who served as special counsel for higher education under former governor Aminu Bello Masari, noted that the Buhari government failed to hold some corrupt officials accountable.
A similar sentiment was echoed by former communications minister Alhaji Adebayo Shittu.
He said:Even if the EFCC does not explore the entire government, we do know that former aviation minister Hadi Sirika is currently facing trial at the request of the EFCC.
“The crisis of multidimensional corruption in Emifiele is also a good example, and I can’t see the former President Buhari administration completely clearing it.”
Shittu insisted that while Buhari himself was “absolutely indestructible”, he failed to properly monitor his ministers allowing corruption to flourish.
He said:No matter how easy it is for leaders to perform, once some cases have approved the minister’s project without ensuring effective supervision, people are indirectly responsible for their misconduct. ”
He specifically mentioned that former Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele had insiders within the president, allowing him to obtain multiple approvals for the controversial policy.
He said:I don’t remember any specific efforts to restart Nigeria’s war against corruption. I think Buhari has performed well in the fight against corruption, better than he did as a civilian president. ”
Shittu calls on Tinubu Administration to learn from Buhari’s shortcomings and implement stronger anti-corruption measures.
