NEDU MARK, Yenagoa
The leadership of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Worldwide has describes recent statements credited to former President Olusegun Obasanjo against their kin, former President Goodluck Jonathan, as ‘reckless and baseless.’
The group further said Obasnajo’s statement was a deliberate attempt towards denting the good political image of Jonathan while in office.
“The body considered the statement as a deliberate effort by Obasanjo to dent former President Jonathan’s towering image in the international community. As usual, Obasanjo does not want anybody in Nigeria to be greater than him.”
Spokesman, IYC, Omrade Eric Omare in a released forwarded to our correspondent said IYC makes bold to state that former President Jonathan’s five years in office were far better than Obasanjo’s eight years in office.
“If Obasanjo has forgotten, we wish to remind him that because of his reckless impunity in rigging elections, President Yar’Adua on assumption of office had zero regard in the international community.
“President Jonathan has redeemed this badly battered image by reforming the electoral system as elections in Nigeria today are substantially free, fair and credible with the consequent goodwill it has generated for Nigeria in the international community. President Buhari would not have been receiving the highest respect before President Obama in the United States now if not for former President Jonathan’s efforts in reforming the electoral system in Nigeria,” said IYC.
The IYC states that if there is any region that ought to be haunted by the performance of ex-Nigerian President, it is the South West region and the Yoruba nation as former President Obasanjo’s performance in office was abysmal.
However, the south west is completely exonerated from any blame as they totally rejected Obasanjo in 1999 because they knew very well that nothing good could come out of former President Obasanjo.
Omare insisted that the Niger Delta region is proud of the achievements of former President Jonathan in office considering the difficult circumstances under which he worked.
The IYC further advised Chief Obasanjo to conduct himself like an elder statesman and stop his grandstanding all over Nigeria trying to pull down other leaders. Nigeria needs the wise counsel of elder statesmen to pull the country out from the numerous challenges facing it.
The IYC also decries the gradual slide to dictatorship as exemplify by the reckless arrest and detention of Nigerians who served under President Jonathan such as Col. Dasuki and Mr. Obuah without due process.
“It is illegal and unconstitutional for Mr. Obuah, former Chief Security Officer to President Jonathan to be detained in an underground cell without access to his family members and lawyers.”
IYC therefore, urges President Buhari not to ‘ take us back to the days of dictatorship. We are not in military dictatorship but in a democratic setting where things are done according to the rule of law.’
