Obasanjo, Buhari Face-off is a Shame to Nigeria, Says Agada

By George Okoh in Makurdi

A former Minister of State for Education, Professor Jerry Agada has stated that  the face-off between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and President Muhammadu Buhari, if not checked by well meaning Nigerians, is capable of dragging the country into the mud.

The former president had last week raised the alarm that the present administration was plotting to incarcerate him with a phantom corruption charge.

Reacting to the development yesterday in Makurdi, Benue State, Agada appealed to well meaning leaders in the country to quickly wade into  the matter before it got out of hand.

“Well, as a former president and Military Head of State, Obasanjo knows his onions and he can get any desirable and undesirable information from whatever quarters. So, I am not in the position to affirm that what he said was true or false, but what am saying is that, the mere fact that he made the claim against the Nigeria state is very shameful and disgraceful. He has security to himself and knows what is happening around him, he must have sensed danger somewhere and that’s why he raised the alarm. But if Obasanjo knows that what he is saying is the truth, depending on his sources, then, it is unfortunate. Something like that should not happen because a former head of state or president should be given maximum regard and respect,” Agada explained.

“On the other hand, if the former president’s claim is not true, he should know that he is disgracing Nigeria before the international community,” he added.

He said the allegation by former President Olusegun Obasanjo accusing President Buhari’s administration of plotting to slam false charges on him, to pave the way for his indefinite detention,was weighty and should be critically and holistically looked into by appropriate authorities.

Obasanjo had also said the government was planning to use fake documents and witnesses against him to perfect the plan, a development Agada said was unhealthy, if anything like that was happening.

Agada noted that the way the whole thing is playing out between the two leaders  is very shameful and a slap on Nigeria’s democracy.

He, however, said Obasanjo’s claim had brought a shame to this country, alluding that it is not proper for a former President to raise such claims against a sitting President in a nation that is still nursing democracy to a stand.

“Well, as a former President and Military Head of State, Obasanjo knows his onions and he has his own security apparatus and can get any desirable and undesirable information from whatever quarters. So, am not in the position to say what he (OBJ) was saying is true or false but what am saying is that, for the mere fact that, this was been said about Nigeria state, is very shameful and disgraceful. In other words, he who has security apparatus to himself and know what is happening around him, must have sense the danger somewhere and that’s why he has bust out to say what he has said,” Agada said.

“If Obasanjo knows what he is saying is true depending on how he heard from whatever source, then, it is unfortunate. Something like that should not happen because a former head of state or president should be given a maximum regard and respect whatsoever”.

“On the other hands, Obasanjo should also know that what he was saying is not true and that he was just raising false alarm then, he should know that he is disgracing  Nigeria before the international community.

Speaking on the out bust of Minister of Defence, calling for the suspension of Benue anti open grazing law, Professor Jerry Agada, the Minister comment on killer herdsmen as closed ally of Buhari, clearly shows the Minister of Defence have been contracted by some cabals to work against the APC and Buhari led government.

Agada noted that he was extremely saddened by the public show of partiality, partisanship by the Minister of Defence whose oath of office requires of him to defend the territorial integrity and all peoples of Nigeria including the good people of Benue state from both internal and external aggression.”

“While lam  still bewildered if the said statement truly emanated from supposed serving Defence Minister’, l consider this statement as a flatly ridiculous, absurdity, and the highest level of public disgrace to democracy and the Nigerian populace and l believe PMB will ignore this kind of advise”.

“By this singular utterance, the Minister of Defence Mansur Dan Ali (rtd) has inarguably displayed incontestable lack of the required sensibility and capacity to serve as Defence Minister in a country of over 180 million people with over 300 ethnic nationalities”, Agada stressed.