Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has again defended his decision to support the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, saying he has not retracted his words on the former vice president but that the PDP presidential candidate “has done three things, which are absolutely imperative for a leader to be followed and believed.”
Speaking as a special guest of honour at the quarterly business lecture of the Lagos Island Club, the former president described Buhari’s supposed integrity as a fake, adding that Atiku will be a president to all Nigerians and not one who will be president to only the people who voted for him.
At the event, Atiku, who was the guest lecturer, said he would create a $25 billion fund to support private sector investments in infrastructure, warning that the country is on the brink of collapse, alleging that Buhari is abusing instrument of power because of his selfish ambition.
Obasanjo said though Atiku had never claimed to be a saint, he too never described him as such.
He posited that the division the country is now experiencing stemmed from the moment President Buhari said that only those who voted for him would enjoy government patronage.
He posited that the division the country is now experiencing stemmed from the moment President Buhari said that only those who voted for him would enjoy government patronage.
Speaking on the capacity of Atiku to lead the country, Obasanjo said the PDP presidential candidate “has done three things which are absolutely imperative for a leader to be followed and believed.”
“First, know who you are and present yourself as you are – a human being in blood and flesh and susceptible to human mistakes and human frailties. Don’t cover up with sanctimonious veneer of bogus integrity, incorruptibility, uprightness, goodness and false figures and statistics, all of which are contrived to deceive, to cheat, to plunder and to destroy.
“Atiku never claimed to be a saint and I never described him as such. I will never so describe any human being alive let alone calling him a Messiah. On an occasion in the past when I said that someone was not a Messiah, some Nigerians out of bad belle were up in arms. For me, as a Christian, the only Messiah I know and have is Jesus Christ and even then, the man aspect of Him was imperfect while the divine aspect of Him was perfectly messianic.
“Secondly, a leader must be honest to himself and to the people he serves or he wants to serve. He must identify and acknowledge his situation, mistakes, shortcomings and inadequacy; show remorse where and when he has erred, seek forgiveness and repent; and not passing the bulk or keep blaming others and fail to accept responsibility.
Atiku accepts responsibility for his mistakes, shows remorse and seeks forgiveness from his political party and subsequently from Nigerians.