The Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption, Prof Itse Sagay (SAN), has criticised former President Olusegun Obasanjo for attacking President Muhammadu Buhari.
Sagay, in a seven-page response titled ‘Obasanjo and the Power Withdrawal Syndrome,’ on Tuesday slammed Obasanjo’s “boisterous, aggressive and hectoring attitude towards succeeding presidents”.
He said with Obasanjo’s “meddlesomeness, rude and uncouth attitude towards later heads of state,” it was clear that he was addicted to “a substance called power”.
Sagay added, “The status of an ex-president is one of quiet dignity, respect, discretion, decorum, discipline and restraint. Obasanjo does not have a single one of these qualities. We have had a number of former heads of state, namely, (Yakubu) Gowon, (Shehu) Shagari, (Ibrahim) Babangida, Abdulsalami Abubakar and (Goodluck) Jonathan.
“These former heads of state have exercised discretion, restraint and self-discipline in relation to their successors, but not Obasanjo. Gowon was Obasanjo’s boss from 1966 to 1975 (nine years). Not once did Gowon utter a public criticism of Obasanjo throughout his tenure from 1976 to 1979 and 1999 to 2007.
“The same thing applies to Abdulsalami Abubakar, who handed over power to Obasanjo in 1999. Not a single word of public excoriation against Obasanjo was uttered by Abdulsalami Abubakar throughout Obasanjo’s eight years in power. Abubakar demonstrated only decorum and self-respect.”
