OBJ’s Letter: The unsettling silence of a President

More than one week after grave allegations were leveled against President Goodluck Jonathan by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the President is yet to clear the air prompting a festering of suspicions. Saturday Vanguard x-rays what it portends for the President especially with 2015 elections inching close.
Politicians are not known to be too patient. It is not also in their totem to stomach what they consider nonsense dished out to them by their opponents. In fact, they can go miles to clear themselves of any kind of allegations leveled against them.
Recall what transpired between former President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and former President Olusegun Obasanjo when IBB, as Babangida is fondly called clocked 70 years in 2011. IBB had chosen to lambast Obasanjo for not doing much in the power sector after 8 years of rulership.
From left: President Goodluck Jonathan; former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar; and former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo at the opening of an international seminar on peace support operations organised by the Ministry of Defence in Abuja, some years back.
Hardly, had Obasanjo got wind of that that he gave a rebuttal, saying “Now, he has the audacity to talk about anybody; I think that is unfortunate. I also read where he said that in his time, he gave the dividends of democracy and at the same time he regretted. When I read that, well, I said Babangida should be pitied and shown sympathy, rather than anger or condemnation because the old saying says a fool at 40 is a fool forever and I would say a regret at 70 is a regret too late. Well, a regret at 70 is a regret to the grave.”
Another handy instance that reveals the impatience and intolerance of politicians was what also occurred between Chief Edwin Clark, former Federal Commissioner for Information and IBB over Clark ’s charge on him to publicly condemn Boko Haram and their activities. For one week or beyond, both men continued to make headlines.

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