Obasanjo, the letterman, strikes again

Not a few feathers in the country’s political space were ruffled by the latest letter penned by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, which became public on New Year’s Day. The letter which was titled ‘My Appeal to All Nigerians, Particularly Young Nigerians” has seemingly attracted more reactions and attacks in the media which question his legitimacy to write it, than even its content and thrust. The raging attacks on the author ostensibly derive from his endorsement of Peter Obi – one of the leading contenders for the office of the President who is running on the platform of the Labour Party (LP) in the forthcoming general polls slated for February this year.

Not only did Obasanjo endorse Obi, he went further to deconstruct and de-market the other leading candidates such as Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), by scoring them lower on his adopted criteria than Obi his preferred candidate. This seemingly is where he stirred the hornets’ nest. 

Among what he wrote in the letter, is that while “none of the contestants is a saint … when one compares their character, antecedent, their understanding, knowledge, discipline and vitality that they can bring to bear and the great efforts required to stay focused on the job, particularly looking at where the country is today and with the experience on the job that I personally had, Peter Obi as a mentee has an edge”. Not done with the ranking of the candidates, Obasanjo did not spare the current administration of President Muhamadu Buhari, which he described as having taken the country backwards.

Among reactions to the letter are in the first place, the rebuttal from the Presidency, which described Obasanjo as a frustrated man. Others comprise a series of angry personal rebuttals from both Tinubu and Atiku along with their spokespersons and a battalion of critics who cite Obasanjo’s ‘sins’ while he was in and out of office at two periods—firstly as a military ruler of the country (1976 -1979), and later as an elected civilian president between (1999 -2007).  On the flip side are also numerous voices commending him for the courage to write the letter which they claim is a timely intervention, given the prevailing state of affairs in the country. 

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Meanwhile, taken on face value of its content, and stripping it of whatever reference to Obi and his competitors, the letter basically constitutes the stuff from a caring elder statesman to a hurting nation. Seen in context there is hardly anything that the letter represents other than a homily which is aimed at stirring up the countrymen and women – especially the youth, to the crucial nature of the forthcoming polls, being a make or mar dispensation for the country. For emphasis, it also needs to be observed that there is hardly anything writen the letter by the author, which has not been placed in the public domain by other observers of the state of affairs in the country—including several of the present traducers of Obasanjo, even with more scathing language. 

While it is not the intention of this column to hold brief for Obasanjo, who this column had on several instances found cause to disagree with, there had been circumstances in the public domain which any keen observer of the country like Obasanjo, can easily rely upon to exercise his personal liberty to make his now controversial value judgment. By the same token, his traducers who are henpecking him presently, are also depending on the same premise of personal liberty and freedom of speech to launch the series of invectives on him. This is where in less auspicious times and with diminished stakes at risk, Nigerians would say that ‘grammar jam grammar’ and leave the matter as ‘one one draw’, with the resignation that Obasanjo has met his match with the avalanche of rebuttals to his letter. 

However, these are not ordinary times but the build-up to a landmark electoral exercise with the likelihood of featuring novel developments and tendencies which may be unlike what had been taking place in past electoral exercises. In the circumstances, a key factor of concern to the political parties and their candidates is the deployment by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), of electronic voting protocols that will brook no fear or favouritism. Just as well, the INEC has severally assured the country the forthcoming elections shall provide room for voters to vote according to their individual convictions. And that is where Obasanjo’s letter matters, especially when it comes to how much credibility he commands across the country and whether his traducers can easily discountenance his clout in the nation. This is what regular Nigerians will call ‘the pepper’ of the entire matter.

The truth of the matter is that Obasanjo cannot be discountenanced by his traducers even if his crusade is seen as self justified, given his antecedents as his inclination to assert himself cannot be taken away. This is a man who has featured on the national scene in various capacities over a period spanning the entire history of independent Nigeria. As a soldier he featured actively in Nigeria’s foreign military assignments. Beyond that he was engaged in one role or the other in the series of military interventions in governance of the country and rose to be the head of state. He was later elected as president of the country under a democratic dispensation. In his personal capacity he is an author of 27 books, in various genres of literature, beyond his numerous letters in which he expressed his views bluntly to different recipients be such friends or foes. A voracious reader and compulsive seeker of knowledge he obtained a doctorate degree from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), in 2018, after he left office as  president. 

It is therefore not surprising that his penchant for shaking tables metaphorically through books and letters writing is grounded on a foundation of patriotism, intellectual sensitivity to the Nigerian cause, as well as long, active association with the soul of the Nigerian nation. His comments are therefore in most cases not frivolous but credible, even if not always popular. 

With respect to the current salvo from him, he may not succeed in conjuring Peter Obi into the presidential seat. However, given the traditional, didactic slant of his interventions, it is time Nigerians – especially the present complement of contenders for political offices, to take Obasanjo’s grouses more seriously.