Former president of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has offered further insight into his purported endorsement of the All Progressives Congress (APC) General Muhammed Buhari.
Obasanjo spoke further on that subject at the launch of his new book ‘My Watch’ in the United Kingdom, while responding to questions on reports that he had endorsed Buhari.
He said his wish is to see Nigeria headed by a strong president.
“Well, whatever you get in the paper and in the press, please yourself, he said, referring to guests at the event who wanted to confirm the reported endorsement.
“What I said and I maintain that and I will say it again and I will do it. When the time comes for me to vote, I will consider the track record of all the candidates that are contesting and I will assess and based on my assessment for who I believe have the best track record to perform the job of the Nigerian president, then he will have my vote and if anybody should know what the job of the Nigerian president requires, I should know,” Obasanjo said.
Incidentally, Nigerians do not harbour good opinion of Obasnjo’s performance while in office. Except for negotiating debt reprief for Nigeria, there was hardly any signature project in the eight years of his administration.
Although he adopted a brutish approach to dealing with corruption, many of his close associates who were perceived to be corrupt remained untouched.
Besides, there is a perspection among a cross section of Nigerians that the former president himself is not entirely clean. Obasanjo further noted that “Nigeria has a population of 180 million and you wouldn’t have anybody other than one person or two persons that can run the affairs of Nigeria? What the hell are we talking about?
“For me there are millions who can run the affairs of Nigeria who are not even coming out. So why should you die on behalf of one who is probably performing as a mediocre. With all due respect.
“Nigeria, if you love it, you would look for the best for Nigeria and I don’t believe that at this point in time we have the best for Nigeria,” he said.
