By Rafiu Ajakaye
LAGOS
Nigeria's presidential spokesman Reuben Abati on Saturday openly accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of plotting with others to instigate crisis and impose an interim government on the country.
"It is not President Jonathan – who remains faithful to his oath of office – who is trying to plunge Nigeria into crisis, but Obasanjo who is scheming to plunge the country into chaos in pursuit of a selfish and highly egocentric agenda," Abati said.
His remarks came only hours after Obasanjo accused Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan of planning to manipulate next month's polls.
"Obasanjo's plot with others within and outside the country to thwart the general elections and foist an unconstitutional interim national government, which he hopes to head, on the nation is well known to us, but by the Grace of God Almighty, his odious plan to return to power through the back door will fail woefully," Abati added.
Obasanjo had been credited for helping Jonathan to power, but relations between the two men – despite belonging to the same ruling PDP – have faltered in the past months.
Obasanjo, Nigeria's president between 1999 and 2007, has been hobnobbing with the opposition and criticizing the President on his alleged mishandling of the insurgency and occupation in the north.
A few days ago, Obasanjo was reported to have adopted opposition candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, who is contesting the elections against Jonathan.
"We know very well that it is in pursuit of this nefarious plot that the former President continues to sow the seeds of discord and crises in the polity by purporting to remain in the ruling party, while openly consorting with the opposition, endorsing its candidates and predicting victory for opposition candidates in a manner most unbecoming of a supposed elder statesman," Abati added in a strongly worded statement.
Reacting to Obasanjo's allegations that Jonathan planned to manipulate the poll or cause crisis so he could remain in power, the presidential spokesman said such a claim fell within the former leader's attacks on the President.
"For reasons best known to him, chief Obasanjo has set his mind on regime change by fair or foul means," Abati said.
"Otherwise, it would be completely senseless, irrational and out of place for Obasanjo, who still claims to belong to the same party as the President, to accuse President Jonathan of plotting to win the rescheduled presidential elections by hook or by crook and planning to plunge the nation into crisis if he loses the election," he added.
For the record, Abati went on, President Jonathan had no such intention and would continue to give the greatest possible support to the Independent National Electoral Commission and other relevant federal agencies to ensure that the rescheduled elections were successfully conducted.
