Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has spoken on damming assertions that his endorsement of Peter Obi for the 2023 presidential election was motivated by financial inducement and pecuniary gains.
Recall that the one time Head of State endorsed the Labour Party (LP) flagbearer in a lengthy letter to Nigerians on January 1.
“My dear young men and women, you must come together and bring about a truly meaningful change in your lives.
“If you fail to redeem yourself and your country, you will have lost the opportunity and will have no one to blame but yourselves and posterity will not forgive you”, he stated.
The explicit declaration of support for Obi, widely considered a major boost for Obi’s ambition, rattled the ruling All Progressives Congress and the major opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party.
They’ve both scoffed at the endorsement of Obi by the former president, describing it as irrelevant, while certain persons in both parties, especially on social media, took their antagonism of and contempt for the endorsement a notch higher by claiming Obasanjo action wasn’t altruistic but spurred by monetary gain.
Reacting to the allegation, Obasanjo denied receiving money to endorse Obi, those close to the former president said.
One of his aides, who spoke in confidence, debunked the insinuation, noting that the former president was enraged when the issue was brought to his notice.
He wondered how a man who led the country as a military and civilian leader would sell his conscience.
“I am not authorized to speak publicly but I can confirm to you that it’s all lies, fake news.
“How much does anyone have to buy a man like Obasanjo? When did speaking one’s mind become a problem?
“Some VIPs have been calling him about it. Baba was so angry that he raised the matter.
“We checked and discovered it was one or two news sites that are not mainstream.
“We told him to ignore it because this is an election period and people will say things”,
DAILY POST quoted him as saying.
According to the media outlet, a rebuttal may be issued if Obasanjo remains uncomfortable with the speculation.
Obi, a former Anambra governor, is contesting to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in what is largely considered a four-man race.
Other frontrunners are Bola Tinubu, All Progressives Congress (APC); Atiku Abubakar, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Rabiu Kwankwaso, New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).