Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday advised those opposed to the continued stay in office of President Muhammadu Buhari to wait for another election rather than wishing him dead.
Obasanjo said it was callous and wicked to wish the president of the country irrespective of the differences with him. The ex-president’s position was contained in a statement issued by his media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, and made available to reporters in Abeokuta.
This was against the backdrop of reports in a section of the social media that Buhari, who departed Abuja for London, United Kingdom on a 10-day vacation on January 19, had died.
The president is expected to return to the country on February 6. But Obasanjo said all Buhari needed from Nigerians are prayers and best wishes, which “will ginger his morale to come back stronger and better.” The former president warned against the politicization of every situation in the country.
Obasanjo, who described those behind Buhari’s death wish as wicked and callous, recalled that he had also been victim of rumoured death while in office as Nigeria’s president.
He said: “No normal human being will wish an elderly person dead irrespective of their differences. “If you don’t like him (Buhari), wait for another election, not going about to say he is dead.
No matter his health situation, we should pray for him to recover quick and come back more stronger and better. “For anyone wishing him dead, such person or group of persons are callous, wicked and treacherous.
I was also rumoured to have died almost 12 times. I don’t know what they derive from doing so, but, they should seek for forgiveness. “Even if we know that the President is sick, he is in a better position to know what to say or what to do and not wishing him dead. We should just stop politicising everything, especially with the elderly in the country.”
Meanwhile, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, declined to comment on the issues. He kept mute after Saturday Telegraph sent him a text message seeking to confirm the date of arrival of his principal.
The text also sought his views on the statement by Obasanjo in Abeokuta. As a follow up action, a call was out across to him and he reacted thus: “Yes, I saw a text talking about Obasanjo and what he said somewhere. If you sent a text message and I didn’t reply, it means that I am not inclined to reply. I have no comments on it.”
Source.. Newtelegraph
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