Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has
aimed another snide remark at President
Muhammadu Buhari, SaharaReporters
reports.
On January 20, 2019, Obasanjo had held a
State of the Nation broadcast in which he
said Nigerians would be "fools" — himself
inclusive — if Buhari is reelected into
power next month.
The next day, in a video published by BBC,
Obasanjo also said Buhari is sick in the
body, mind and spirit.
In his most recent take on Buhari, the
former President, who was the guest
speaker at the Island Club Quarterly
Business Lecture, on Wednesday, criticised
Buhari for his lenghty absences from office
and the country on medical grounds.
In the years since he was sworn in as
President of Nigeria in 2015, Buhari has
spent 104 days outside the country on
medical vacation.
However, speaking on the competence of
his former vice, Obasanjo said since he
didn’t spend 104 days outside the shores
of the country, people may not know that
Atiku stood in his stead in many capacities
while they were in charge of the country’s
administration.
According to Obasanjo, contrary to popular
belief, Atiku presided over several Federal
Executive Council (FEC) meetings under his
1999-2007 administration.on the latter’s
medical vacation.
He also stated that one of the most
ridiculous claims he has heard is that he
did not trust Atiku, who is the presidential
candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party,
to preside over the FEC.
His words: “That is not true because he had
occasion to preside a few times that I was
out of the country on duty. On those
occasions, he was in charge of the FEC
meetings and no Nigerian chief executive has
devolved to his deputy as much as I did to
Atiku.
“I did not need to designate him ‘acting
president’ because the constitution is clear;
once the president is not available, the vice
president automatically acts with full powers,
and he consults when and if he considers it
necessary.
“But since I was not absent from home for
104 days at a time, people may not know
that Atiku actually stood in for me whenever I
was out (of the country). You have a man
who has what it takes in experience,
exposure, lessons that he has learnt and he
has learnt his lessons. I tried to teach him a
few of them. You have a man who has what
it takes at this time for us to have a change
and we need a change for the better.â€
Source:
www.tori.ng/news/115416/i-wasnt-
absent-from-home-for-104-days-obasanjo-
aim.html
