The Presidency has condemned former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s recent declaration of Emergency Rule in Rivers State, describing him as the grandfather of hypocrisy in Nigeria.
Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, took a retrospective look at Obasanjo’s tenure, highlighting a series of alleged undemocratic actions carried out under his administration between 1999 and 2007.
“Obasanjo is trying every trick possible to whitewash his bad democratic records by attempting to exonerate himself from blame for how Nigeria’s democracy has fared,” Olusegun said in a post on his verified X handle Wednesday evening.
The former President, while speaking at the Ihedioha Colloquium, condemned Tinubu’s decision to suspend Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and all members of the Rivers Assembly, warning that “democracy is dying in Nigeria.”
Olusegun, however, countered Obasanjo’s remarks, recalling instances where the former leader allegedly undermined democracy.
He cited Obasanjo’s involvement in the controversial removal of opposition Governors, interference in legislative processes and an alleged attempt to extend his tenure beyond the constitutional limit.
“This is the same OBJ that turned himself into a kingmaker and a demigod in his second term in office. Anybody who disagreed with him became prey,” Olusegun alleged.
He pointed to Obasanjo’s role in the controversial 2003 elections, where several opposition Governors from the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD) were allegedly rigged out of office, leaving only Lagos State under then-Governor Bola Tinubu.
Olusegun also accused Obasanjo of masterminding unconstitutional impeachments, recalling how sitting governors in Anambra, Ekiti, Plateau, Oyo, and Bayelsa states were removed through what he described as “kangaroo impeachments,” most of which were later overturned by the courts.
He further referenced the infamous abduction of former Anambra Governor Chris Ngige, who was allegedly forced to sign a resignation letter at gunpoint by senior security operatives under Obasanjo’s watch.
“This is the same OBJ who unilaterally declared his Vice President’s seat vacant over a corruption indictment and even declared unnecessary public holidays just to prevent courts from ruling on Atiku’s legal challenge,” Olusegun stated.
Turning to Obasanjo’s history with emergency rule, Olusegun recalled how the former President imposed a state of emergency in Plateau and Ekiti States, suspending the Governors and State assemblies without directly accusing them of any wrongdoing.
“In Obasanjo’s case, his reason for suspending Joshua Dariye and the Plateau legislature was failure to end violence between Muslim and Christian communities.
“He didn’t accuse the assembly of anything, yet he suspended them. Now he’s criticizing Tinubu for suspending those who are the direct actors in the Rivers crisis,” Olusegun argued.
The presidential aide concluded by labeling Obasanjo as “the grandfather of hypocrisy in Nigeria,” insisting that the former leader lacked the moral standing to lecture the current administration on democracy.
