Former president Obasanjo in his recent letter to President Jonathan called Buruji Kashamu a criminal. Buruji was in Lagos on Friday where he granted an interview and still insists on dragging Obasanjo to court by his cap. He also said he helped Obasanjo fight Gbenga Daniel with almost N3b. Read all he said after the cut.
What is your reaction to the letter by Chief Obasanjo to President Jonathan?
The letter that was sent to President Goodluck Jonathan accusing him of many atrocities and also calling me an unashamed criminal. How can Obasanjo be calling me an unashamed criminal? What do I have to be ashamed of when I know that I am not a criminal? When I know that I did not commit any offence. I have been engaged in genuine business since I was 17, 18 years old. My hands are clean. This story has been on since 2007 when I married Rosemary Osula. She was the one who started it. Then from Osula to Gbenga Daniel, then to Segun Oni, Oyinlola, Bode George and so on. If it is true that America is looking for me, if it is true that America has case against me, since that 2007 when Osula and I were fighting on the pages of newspaper, they could have come if they were sure I was the one they were looking for. 2007 till date, that’s almost six years. The same story continues.
First, for Obasanjo, an ex-president who had ruled the country three times to have written the letter, complaining that Jonathan allowed me to move close to him was an acceptance of defeat. It shows that Obasanjo is afraid of me.
What is giving Obasanjo the power is the soul of the South-west. We have six geo-political zones in the country. For someone to have the control of an entire zone, which former president Babangida does not even have, which no other ex-head of state controls. Only Obasanjo is controlling a zone. This is what Obasanjo is using as a foundation to negotiate with the Presidency. He gets benefits as an ex-president, then he also corners slots meant for the Southwest. That is why you see many people go to his house to bow to him. Those who want to be ministers, ambassadors and other appointments always go to his house. He had the PDP structure of the Southwest in his hands. Obasanjo used me to take control of Ogun State. He had Lagos, Oyo with Akala, Osun with Oyinlola, Ondo with the late Agagu and so on. All of them under his umbrella were having southwest meeting with him. He introduced me to the late Agagu, Segun Oni, Caleb Olubolade and so on.
When President Jonathan came to power, he respected Obasanjo and appointed ministers nominated by Obasanjo. They gave him two ministers in Ogun State, but he was not pleased. It was after that that he went to Geneva to speak ill of the Jonathan government.
Jonathan was not fighting Obasanjo. He was just concerned with how to fulfil his mandate, but because Obasanjo saw that he could not control Jonathan, that is genesis of their problem.
Obasanjo is making it look like Jonathan is not performing, but we Nigerians are not foolish. We know what Obasanjo has done to damage this country. Have you ever seen any ex-president in the whole world that can write this kind of letter to bring his country into disrepute? But Obasanjo is not ashamed. He thought he did that to rubbish Jonathan, but he is doing it to damage himself.
Obasanjo is playing God to have said Jonathan should not have more than one term. Jonathan never told Obasanjo he wanted the presidency. He was just a lucky, easy going man. They wanted him to betray Alamieyeseigha, but he refused. He is loyal and competent. Obasanjo is merely taking advantage of Jonathan’s gentlemanliness.
How dare Obasanjo say Jonathan should spend one term? Is Obasanjo God to dictate someone else’s progress?
Recall that after Obasanjo left prison, it was Chief Orji Uzor Kalu and others who funded his campaign to be president when he said he didn’t have money to contest.
And he told those who were working for him to get power that if they assisted him, he would only spend one term in office. After first term, Obasanjo begged Atiku Abubakar, to allow him do second term. As soon as he got what he wanted, he turned against the vice president. There is nothing he did not do to destroy Atiku. But God did not allow him. After second term, he started the third term agenda, bribing lawmakers before they stopped him. Which credibility does he have to say Jonathan must not run for second term?
Check Obasanjo’s history. He doesn’t want anyone to be richer or better than himself. If you are rich, you must go look for talakawa clothes and appear as if you are poor, that is when Obasanjo would not hurt you. If you go to Obasanjo looking rich and well to do, you are finished. He would ruin you.
He said I am an unashamed criminal. When I was working with him, when I spent N3 billion to fight Gbenga Daniel and took PDP structure and handed over to him, he did not see me as unashamed criminal.
Yet, this was the same man that former EFCC boss Mallam Nuhu Ribadu described corruption under his watch as worse than that of late General Sani Abacha, according to United States cable obtained by Wikileaks.
The report stated that a meeting which the former US Ambassador to Nigeria, Ms Robin Sanders, had with Mallam Ribadu to discuss his removal from the EFCC, Ribadu told the US ambassador that Obasanjo was good at covering his tracks while admitting that corruption was worse under Obasanjo.
Ribadu was quoted as saying that former President Obasanjo knew how to play the game. ‘Although he created the EFCC and understood its importance for him with the international community, Ribadu explained, that by far and even more than the Abacha days, corruption under Obasanjo’s eight years was far worse.’
In Ogun where I spent N3 billion fighting Gbenga Daniel. Daniel dragged Obasanjo on the floor. I came in, joined Iyabo Obasanjo. We were fighting Daniel. I would go to Obasanjo’s house and office to take instructions. When we took the PDP structure from Daniel, when were in the court in Abuja, Daniel used same delegates list, one for PDP and the other for PPN. He planned that if he failed in one, he would use the same list in the other party, which is illegal. Then I alerted INEC that they should not allow the same delegates list. We went to court in Abuja. Daniel then carried placard with his supporters that the case must return to Ogun State. Because of that, the chief judge transferred the case to Ogun State. After the transfer, we believed that if we kill the PPN, the fight would be between PDP and ACN. Because of that we fought tooth and nail with Obasanjo suggesting we use illegal means to have our way. But after we fell apart, all the PDP cases that they lost in the Southwest, we would file case and his boys believed Obasanjo had power, he could influence the judiciary. They would not fight. They think Obasanjo is above the law. Before they woke up, we had removed Segun Oni. That was when they started fighting.
How can Obasanjo say I’m an unashamed criminal? You know what that means? He is saying I am stronger than him. That I have scattered his structure and that America should come and help him to remove me.
Since they have been calling America, they have their embassy here, but that country would not do anything illegal. The American law even says if you request for the extradition of a person, you must get that person to stand trial within two and a half years. If you fail, then the indictment is null and void. If I decide to go to America today, there is no case against me. I won the case in 2003 in London and came back to my country, the US government did not appeal. Between 2003 and now is about 11 years.
Which extradition is Obasanjo even talking about? If he is not an old man bullying for nothing, how would he not consult a lawyer and do proper checking to get his facts right before issuing his letter.
Have you ever seen other ex-heads of state, Gowon, Shagari, Buhari, Babangida, descending so low to behave the way Obasanjo is doing? What makes Obasanjo think that Nigeria belongs to only him?
I was the one who rescued Obasanjo when Gbenga Daniel wanted to rubbish him. I was always in his house. Iyabo, his daughter was moving with me. She would come to my hotel. We would be feeding Baba Obasanjo with details of our activities. When we took over the PDP structure from Daniel, Obasanjo called us one day and said we should not work for Jonathan for 2015. We asked why and he said Jonathan doesn’t listen to him; Jonathan doesn’t take instructions from him and Jonathan tells him lies. And we asked what kind of lies? Obasanjo said when Gbenga Daniel locked up the Ogun State House of Assembly during the crisis involving the lawmakers, Jonathan was in China and called him to say the action was unacceptable, that within 24 hours the Assembly would be re-opened. Obasanjo said despite the promise, the Assembly remained locked for two months. That in his own state it was an insult to his integrity. He was boiling with anger that day. He vowed that Jonathan would not spend more than one term in office. That he would fight President Jonathan to the end.
