The former President Olusegun Obasanjo has come under fire for his recent comments on democracy, with accusations of hypocrisy and distraction. Critics argue that Obasanjo, who played a controversial role in Nigeria’s democratic history, is now bemoaning the system he contributed to undermining.
Obasanjo’s statements, which propose an ambiguous concept of “Afro-Democracy,” have been met with scepticism.
The critics point out that Obasanjo’s own contributions to Nigerian democracy include subverting the rights of states, orchestrating the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, and attempting a third term in office.
That persona fiercely leaps out of the latest drama of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his latest fancy of “Afro-democracy”, whatever that gibberish means.
Here is a fellow that contributed least to brewing this democracy. Despite Obasanjo subverting it at every critical point — witness his role in Gen. Ibrahim Babangida’s annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election and the propping up of the feckless Ernest Shonekan as Interim Head of State to bury MKO Abiola’s mandate — Obasanjo has had more than his fair share of state pork since 1999.
His Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), of rotten moral provenance, is clear proof of that skewed munificence. Obasanjo, as the boy so over-fed he called his doting parents arrant fools, from the same complex he corralled from “democracy”, now bawls “useless” Democracy must give way for his Afro-Democracy! How rich!
Obasanjo bewails his many false steps. But he hides his clear misdeeds behind some pseudo-piety. If Nigerian democracy isn’t delivering dividends, it’s due to Obasanjo’s many wilful blunders, in those first eight foundation years — 1999-2007.
The former president’s establishment of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) has also been highlighted as contradictory to his criticism of democracy. Critics question how Obasanjo, who benefited significantly from the democratic system, can claim that democracy has failed.
Besides, OOPL — from where he ran his mouth — is the most incriminating evidence against his person and rant. How can Obasanjo corral so much to feed his personal greed and still rant from there that democracy has failed?
This Owu fox should spare the rest of us his hypocritical rantings. He should stop distracting those clearing up the mess he created by his “Egbere” cries.·
Some argue that rather than offering constructive solutions, Obasanjo’s comments serve as a distraction from the challenges faced by those working to address the issues created during his presidency.
The critique concludes by urging Obasanjo to refrain from what it describes as “hypocritical rantings” and focus on more meaningful contributions to the nation’s development.
