The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo of disrespecting and verbally attacking traditional rulers in the state.
The party in a statement issued at the weekend and made available to journalists in Ibadan by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare accused Obasanjo of being a vindictive individual who is not worth the status of a statesman, title chief, and leader on the African continent.
He added that the former Nigerian leader carried out a pre-meditated action against the monarchs because they failed to allow themselves to be used to make the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi the next president of Nigeria.
The APC said this in reaction to the viral clip of the former President angrily ordering traditional rulers to stand up at the venue of the road project commissioning in Iseyin, Oyo State on Friday.
According to Obasanjo, a sitting Governor or President is superior to any traditional ruler and must be accorded the necessary respect.
The action of Obasanjo however sparked mixed reactions and the Oyo APC in their own reaction, condemned the action of the former Nigerian leader.
The APC statement added that Chief Obasanjo not only disrespected the kings but also desecrated the Yoruba culture.
The statement reads: “It is evident that Chief Obasanjo used the avenue of his questionable invitation to the road project commissioning to get back at certain individuals who openly rejected his presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in the build-up to the last general election. We recall that one of the monarchs on the seat appeared on some private radio stations during the electioneering and mobilized support for Tinubu, who won the election eventually. This did not go down well with the former popular president for his vindictiveness, and he used the opportunity handed down to him by one of his loyalists (Gov. Makinde) to hit back at his target.
“Meanwhile, we condemn in strong terms the conduct of Chief Obasanjo, who threw decorum into the wind on account of being a former president and chose to desecrate the rich culture and traditions of the Yoruba people.
“By assaulting the monarchs, who were at the occasion on invitation, the Owu-born former military dictator had shown the world that he was not worth his status as a statesman, title chief and leader on the African continent.
“It is on record that despite ruling Nigeria for a combined period of 12 years, Obasanjo did not make a significant impact on the lives of the people of Oyo state as the best he did (and still does) was removing an elected governor of the state and refusing to add value in the areas of infrastructure, wealth creation and empowerment of our people.
“So, the good people of the Pacesetter state do not hold him in high esteem, and they expect little or nothing from him, even if he has another opportunity to become president again.
“However, there is a pertinent question begging for an answer regarding the choice of Obasanjo as the chairman of the occasion at the instance of Gov. Makinde.
“The simple truth is that the whole scenario has further exposed the hypocrisy in Gov. Makinde, who has done everything possible to claim the glory of President Bola Tinubu’s victory in Oyo state in the February 25 presidential election.
“How can you be loyal to two opposing characters in a political contest at the same time? It is obvious, Obasanjo is anti-Tinubu and Makinde is also pro-Obasanjo while we watch keenly as the governor continues his tricky game in the political space.” Sadare stated.
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