Former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo has clarified his stand on reports that he has decided not to support any presidential candidate for 2019 elections.
Mr Obasanjo said in a statement on Sunday by his media aide Kehinde Akinyemi that he wants President Muhammadu Buhari voted out hence he is not neutral.
There have been reports in the media that Obasanjo has decided not to support any presidential candidate despite openly endorsing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Atiku Abubakar.
“While Chief Olusegun Obasanjo is in Cairo to attend the maiden edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF), of which he is Chairman of the Advisory Council, his attention has been drawn to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) with the headline Atiku: Obasanjo Shifts Political Gear to Neutral.
“It is disingenuous, if not malicious, for anyone to suggest that Chief Obasanjo was being neutral when he chose not to use the Owu Convention as a platform for political campaign but instead adopt a communal and familial approach in talking to members of his Owu family
“For the records, and as accurately reported by some media organisations, what the former president said at the convention in Iwo was that while he would not impress any candidates on them, Nigerians should vote for credible candidates who will drive growth and development and make their lives better than it is now,” Mr Akinyemi said.
He explained that Obasanjo’s statement did not suggest his neutrality, as he believes that, “only a fool will sit on the fence or be neutral when his or her country is being destroyed with incompetence, corruption, lack of focus, insecurity, nepotism, brazen impunity and denial of the obvious.”
