A member of the Security and Intelligence Committee of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, PCC, Abayomi Nurain Mumuni has cautioned former President Olusegun Obasanjo not to use his utterances to set the country on fire.
The 2011 gubernatorial candidate of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) in Lagos State said this in a statement made available to Newspot on Tuesday through his media aide, Rasheed Abubakar.
Recall that former President Olusegun Obasanjo had alleged irregularities in the just concluded presidential election.
In a recent letter, the elder statesman called for the cancellation of the result of the election.
The APC chieftain has, however, cautioned the former president against setting the country on fire through his utterances.
Mumuni while reacting to Obasanjo’s outburst, noted that other elder statesmen in Nigeria have been quiet, minding their respective businesses as usual without taking the side of any candidate in the election.
He said he was, however, surprised that Obasanjo who is supposed to be neutral just like others, has been taking sides and declaring his support for a candidate.
Mumuni advised Obasanjo not to use his utterances to thwart the electioneering process in the country the way it was done in 1993.
He urged INEC to go ahead with the collation process and announce the winner of the election at the appropriate time, without unnecessary delay.
He said, “It is important to note that since the unfolding of the 2023 general elections, elder statesmen in Nigeria have done their best in ensuring free, fair and credible elections. They didn’t anoint any candidate. They remained quiet, minding their respective businesses as usual without taking the side of any candidate in the election.
“However, one of our most revered in the South, in the person of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo gave his endorsement to one of the candidates, Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party before the actual day of the election, even though it would have been more respectable for him to sit on the fence. Fine, that is pardonable.
“If anyone was to counsel on the credibility of elections, it’s not someone like Obasanjo because Nigerians are not unaware of things that transpired under his regime. The elections that produced him in 1999 and 2003 were questionable. He was a product of most elections and also conducted one of the most rigged elections in the history of Nigeria’s democracy in 2007. The late Yar’Adua (may Allah admit him into paradise) also admitted the flaws in the election that ushered him in. He who will call his neighbour a thief must come with a clean hand.
“Having seen how much effort was put into the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), it is pertinent to commend the electoral body for trying to make the elections as transparent as possible.
“Although there is room for improvement and some issues almost rendered the efforts useless, still, INEC must be commended. The Commonwealth and ECOWAS have even lauded the electoral body over the elections.
“He is trying everything possible to thwart the electioneering, as an elder statesman, he could do better, but since he has chosen that part, INEC and well-meaning Nigerians should not give him the attention he seeks. INEC should go ahead with the collation and announce the winner irrespective”.
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