Nigeria’s presidential election is Buhari’s self-succession project - Obasanjo

… likens Buhari’s transition to Abacha’s transmutation to civilian president … accuses INEC, security agencies of ploy to rig polls for Buhari

RAZAQ AYINLA, Abeokuta

Less than 30 days to the much awaited Nigeria’s general elections, ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo, on Sunday, revealed high-level machination already perfected by President Muhammadu Buhari’s All Progressives Congress, Apc-led Federal Government to rig the general elections slated between February 16 and March 2, 2019.

Obasanjo said security reports and available intelligence gathered so far by him indicated there were clandestine moves and efforts by the Presidency to engage Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the nation’s security agencies for the purpose of election rigging targeted to reinstall Buhari as Nigeria’s President all costs.

The former President, who addressed a team of journalists at the conference room of Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) in Abeokuta on Sunday, categorically said desperate moves by the Presidency to rig the elections in favour of Buhari and all candidates of APC accounted for President Buhari’s blatant refusal to sign the revised Electoral Reform Bill into law, having been duly passed by the National Assembly.

While reading from a 16page pamphlet tagged, “Points for Concern and Action,” Obasanjo said desperate moves to retain Buhari as Nigeria’s President were akin to planned, but botched infamous transmutation of former Military Head of State, late General Sani Abacha from military head to the civilian president sometime in 1998.

He said, “What is happening under Buhari’s watch can be likened to what we witnessed under Gen. Sani Abacha in many ways. When Abacha decided that he must install himself as Nigerian President by all means and at all costs, he went for broke and surrounded himself with hatchet men who on his order and in his interest and at high costs to Nigeria and Nigerians maimed, tortured and killed for Abacha. Buhari has started on the same path in mad desperation.

“From available intelligence, we have heard of how Buhari and his party are going about his own self-succession project. They have started recruiting collation officers who are already awarding results based on their projects to actualise the perpetuation agenda in which the people will not matter and the votes will not count. It is the sole reason he has blatantly refused to sign the revised Electoral Reform Bill into law.

“His henchmen are working round the clock in cahoots with security and election officials to perfect their plan by computing results right from the ward to local government, state and national levels to allot him what will look like a landslide victory, irrespective of the true situation for a candidate who might have carried out by proxy presidential debate and campaigns.

“The current plan is to drape the pre-determined results with a toga of credibility. It is also planned that violence of unimaginable proportion will be unleashed in high voting population areas across the country to precipitate re-run elections and where he will be returned duly elected after concentration of security officials as it happened in Osun State.

“We are monitoring them and we call on all democrats across the world to keep an eye on the unfolding anti-democratic agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari. This is the time for preventive measures to be taken otherwise Nigeria may be presented with a fait accompli with impunity and total disregard of all pleas.

“His scheme bears eloquent testimony to this road similar to Abacha whom he has praised to high heavens and as an archsupporter and beneficiary from Abacha, he has seen nothing wrong done by him. It is clear from all indications that Buhari is putting into practice the les- sons he learned from Abacha. Buhari has intimidated and harassed the private sector, attacked the National Assembly and now unconstitutionally and recklessly attacked and intimidated the Judiciary to cow them to submission.

“I was a victim of Abacha’s atrocities against Nigeria and Nigerians – high and low. At the height of Abacha’s desperation for perpetual power, he did not brook any criticism because Nigeria was seen as his personal property. You must go along with him or be destroyed. All institutions for ensuring security, welfare and well being of Nigeria and Nigerians, particularly the Police, the Military and the Department of State Services (DSS) were abused and misused to deal with critics of Abacha and non-conformists with Abacha.

“Today, another Abacha Era is here. The security institutions are being misused to fight all critics and opponents of Buhari and to derail our fledgling democracy. EFCC, Police and Code of Conduct Tribunal are also being equally misused to deal with those Buhari sees as enemies for criticising him or as those who may not do his bidding in manipulating election results.

“Criticism, choice and being different are inherent trademark of democracy. If democracy is derailed or aborted, anarchy and authoritarianism will automatically follow.

“Today, as in the day of Abacha, Nigerians must rise up and do what they did in the time of Abacha. Churches and Mosques prayed. International community stood by us Nigerians. I was a beneficiary and my life was saved. Well-meaning Nigerians took appropriate actions and made sacrifices, some supreme, some less than supreme but God had the final say and He took the ultimate action.

“God of Nigeria is a living God and a prayer-answering God. Nigerians must cry out to God to deliver Nigeria.”

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