2023 election: You are a danger to Nigeria’s democracy, General Akinrinade lambastes Obasanjo
Nigeria’s former Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Staff, General Alani Akinrinade has taken a swipe at the ex-president president Olusegun Obasanjo over his call for the cancellation of the 2023 presidential and National Assembly election.
In a statement sent to Legit.ng, the retired Army general said that the statement by former Obasanjo over the recently concluded elections must be condemned in the strongest terms by democracy-loving Nigerians and those who care about the unity of this country.
Source: Depositphotos
He said Obasanjo's statement came at a time when the Independent National Electoral Commission was still busy with the conduct and release of the election results is both unfortunate and a glaring and calculative attempt to game the system.
Akinrinade said without any shred of evidence, a former president was challenging the integrity of national elections and calling a seating President to truncate it midway.
He said:
PAY ATTENTION: Follow us on Instagram - get the most important news directly in your favourite app!
"As a General who fought for the unity of this country and one that has witnessed the many twists and turns of our Democratic development, I am certain that Nigeria this time is on the right path. I find it most disturbing and objectionable that a former General and President will introduce such a diatribe into the body politic of Nigeria at such a delicate time as this.
"Being not neutral, Obasanjo’s intervention falls short of patriotism and fits perfectly into meddling in the affairs of the state that is already the constitutional responsibility of INEC.
Obasanjo wants to circumvent Nigeria's political process
He added that Nigerians can easily recall the Obasanjo years and his democratic antics and many bullish attempts at circumventing the political process.
He stated:
"I call on President Muhammadu Buhari to ignore Obasanjo’s recent interruptions and focus on supporting the lawful institution to do its job by allowing the process to run its full course. President Buhari I know will let the process run its full course and will not intervene in an undemocratic manner to truncate the ongoing political process.
"Luckily, President Buhari is made of finer and more principled democratic stuff. He will not allow Obasanjo to lure him into tainting his democratic credentials in this regard. I recall that in his last trip to the United States, President Joe Biden praised Buhari's commitment to democratic values and principles. Obasanjo has no such record to be applauded.
"The world has not forgotten his fraudulent and undemocratic attempt at a third-term agenda in violation of the letter and spirit of the Nigerian constitution.
"In 2007, after his botched third-term bid, Obasanjo conducted the worst election in the history of Nigeria. The beneficiary of that electoral heist, Late President Umaru Yar’Adua openly admitted that his presidency was a product of a fraudulent election with a commitment to reform the electoral process. Nigerians have voted. Their votes have counted. Let no one disrupt the process.
Obasanjo calls for cancellation of presidential poll
Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that the Obasanjo on Monday, February 27, sought the cancellation of the presidential election which he said lacked integrity and validity.
It was reported that in his statement titled “2023 Nigeria Presidential Election: An Appeal For Caution and Rectification”, Obasanjo urged the chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, to take the bull by the horn and save Nigeria from catastrophe.
The ex-President alleged that INEC officials stationed nationwide had been compromised, especially with the hiccups encountered in the transmission of results.
Source: Legit.ng
