Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed great delight at the
development Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi has brought to bear in
the state.
Obasanjo declared his
joy at the developmental strides on a recent visit to the state.
Here is a full report of the happenstance
' Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said he has no regrets declaring
that Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi, was unfit to be governor
in 2007.
He said he accepts full responsibility for his decision but added that
with Amaechi’s victory at the Supreme Court, his (Amaechi’s) K-leg had
been straightened.
Obasanjo spoke yesterday at the Ambassador Nne Kurubo Model Secondary
School, Ebubu-Eleme, Rivers State while inaugurating projects executed
by Amaechi in the state.
Recalling the incident in 2007 when he, as president, unexpectedly
refused to give Amaechi the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket,
despite his winning the primary to contest the governorship in Rivers
State because his case had K-leg, Obasanjo said: “I believe that as a
leader, when I have something that requires action, that action must be
taken, otherwise I am not a worthy leader.
“A report came about him, which indicated K-leg, and I said yes, there
is a K-leg and as a result of the K-leg, he could not continue. But
Rotimi (Amaechi) did what was required in a democratic dispensation; he
went to court to straighten the K-leg.
“I was one of those, who when he (Amaechi) got the judgment or the
verdict, found it awkward. I did not voice it out publicly, but I found
it awkward; awkward in the sense that how can a man who has not
contested an election; a man who has not been voted for be declared the
governor?
“But I mused about it knowing that people went to a higher court. I
think he (Amaechi) took it to the Supreme Court and in the Supreme
Court, he won.”
He said the Supreme Court verdict had cleared all doubts about Amaechi’s eligibility.
“As far as I am concerned, that is the end of the K-leg. If anybody is
not satisfied after that, he has to wait for the judgment of the Supreme
Being up there.
“So the K-leg has been straightened; not only that, after his first
term, he contested and won with a landslide. Then, what K-leg are you
talking about again? Well that is that about K-leg,” he said.
He commended Amaechi for his courage to challenge the decision of the
party against his candidacy in 2007, adding that he (Obasanjo) accepts
full responsibility for the decision.
He said: “I want to acknowledge your courage. I phoned the governor; I
hope he will remember and I said: ‘Governor Amaechi, don’t take anything
against your predecessor, because whatever decision was taken about
you, hold me responsible, not your predecessor because I was the overall
person in charge.’
“So if anything had been done because I took a decision that I believed
was right, I have no apologies. This is because I don’t take decisions
lightly. When I have to take decisions; some that I find very important,
I fast and pray before I take them. I ask for God’s guidance and
direction.”
'Explaining the reason for his visit, which drew the flak of the state
chapter of the PDP, Obasanjo said in his characteristic manner, “I am
here to see development, to acknowledge development. So far, I have seen
a bit. We still have time to go and whatever I see, when I earmark, I
eye-mark, I mouth-mark. So far, I have earmarked, I have eye-marked and I
am trying now to mouth-mark.”
Obasanjo also replied critics who said he should not visit the state
because Amaechi had renamed a road named after him (Obasanjo).
His words: “Some people have also said why should you come here? When
Amaechi became governor, one road named after me was cancelled. I don’t
work so that people can name road after me; I work so that I can be what
God wants me to be.
“But if for any reason, anybody decides to name anything after me, good
luck to him. But I want to be remembered; I want my name to be written
in the hearts and mind of Nigerians and people all over the world; not
necessarily on a road.
“Well, if he (Amaechi) said the road should not be named after me, what
is the quarrel? Why should I quarrel with that? If in the course of
that, they invite me and I did not come, that will mean I am petty, I am
mean and I don’t deserve to be honoured.
“Of course, Rotimi, with all due respect, there must be something you
must learn from me. If I am petty and mean, then there is nothing you
can learn from me. I must show without being immodest that I am older
and more experienced and if experience goes with wisdom, I am wiser.”
On the model school, which he inaugurated after his address, Obasanjo
said: “Without prejudice, this will compare favourably with any
multipurpose hall of any tertiary institution in this country or even
anywhere in the world.
“The point is this: if we want leaders of tomorrow; those who will be
leaders with ideas, who will have no ghetto mentality, you must train
them not within a ghetto, but within an environment like this.”
He however called for the establishment of more schools of the same standard in the state.
“We have a problem though; if you have only 24 of this, it is not enough
for the state because we will have the problem of selection,
competition and then it will be whose child will not be in a school like
this? That becomes a problem.
“I guess when the problem arises, those here after you (Amaechi) will be
able to solve it. Maybe you will be working towards how it will be
solved before you leave,” the former president advised.
Obasanjo also expressed satisfaction with the achievements of Amaechi,
but advised that politics should be played with principle, adding, “I
feel proud that by association, I am part of the work you are doing in
the area of infrastructure development, particularly road transportation
infrastructure.”
'At another event, Obasanjo described the late playwright and social
critic, Ken Saro Wiwa, as one of those who laid down their lives for the
enthronement of democracy in the country.
The former president spoke when he inaugurated former Stadium Road, which was renamed Ken Saro Wiwa Road by Amaechi.
Obasanjo said: “Where we are today in our democracy, we should remember
that we did not just get there without some people paying the supreme
sacrifice. Ken Saro Wiwa was one of those who paid the ultimate
sacrifice for democracy in this country.”
He called on Nigerians to protect the nation’s democracy and honour those who fought for it.
Earlier, Amaechi had explained that he brought the former president to
showcase to him what he had achieved in the past seven years, adding
that Obasanjo was “a good leader” that Nigerians believed so much in.
Amaechi revealed that he got the idea of the model school from Achimota
in Ghana when he was in exile in that country, stating that out of the
27 of such schools expected to be built by his administration, seven had
been completed so far.
But in reaction to Obasanjo’s visit, the Rivers State chapter of the PDP
accused the former president of double standard by coming to inaugurate
the projects of a man he once denied the party’s ticket because of
corruption.
'The party, in a statement signed by the Special Adviser, Media to the
state Chairman, Jerry Needam, said the people of Rivers State deserved
to know the outcome of those charges and investigations and why the
former president suddenly swallowed his words to honour the invitation
of a man he so much vilified and caused the anti-graft agencies to
pursue on account of corruption.
“Failure to oblige this request the people of Rivers State will be left
with no other option than to conclude that he (Obasanjo) has either
compromised his acclaimed hard stance against corruption in high places
or worse still, is playing politics with the entire Rivers people
notwithstanding the after effects,” the party said.
The statement added: “The party insists that issues that border on
corruption and mismanagement of state resources are such serious matters
that cannot be wished away by political bravado associated with
projects commissioning, let alone by Gov. Amaechi’s direct accuser,
ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, stressing that unless the issue of K-leg
is explained to the people, neither Obasanjo nor Amaechi will be taken
seriously by Rivers people.”'
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