'Emi lokan' attitude wrong for Nigeria - Obasanjo takes a swipe at Tinubu

Obasanjo said this in his New Year letter to Nigerians on Sunday, January 1, 2023.

The former president in his missive made available to newsmen by his Spokesman, Kehinde Akinyemi, also chose the Labour Party Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, as his preferred choice in the presidential election slated for February 25.

According to Obasanjo, the former Anambra State Governor won his endorsement because he had an edge over other candidates in the race.

Meanwhile, the ex-president condemned the entitlement attitude of some candidates and said it's wrong for anyone to arrogate power to themselves.

In an apparent swipe at Tinubu - who is the proponent of the 'Emi Lokan' slogan - Obasanjo said such pronouncement is a wrong attitude for the leadership of Nigeria at this critical time.

Obasanjo's words: "Let me say straight away that ‘Emi Lokan’ (My turn) and ‘I have paid my dues’ are one and the same thing and are wrong attitude and mentality for the leadership of Nigeria now.

"They cannot form the new pedestal to reinvent and to invest in a new Nigeria based on an All-Nigeria Government for the liberation and restoration of Nigeria. Such a government must have representation from all sectors of our national life – public, private, civil society, professional, labour, employers, and the diaspora. The solution should be in ‘we’ and ‘us’ and not in ‘me’ and ‘I’.

"Mind you, I reiterate that no human being is an angel let alone a Messiah, but there are elements of these attributes and on comparative basis and by measure of what we know of, and what some of us have experienced from the front-runners, we must assess judiciously and choose wisely.

“If anybody claims he or she has anything to the contrary, it will be up to him or her to prove to us.

“I pray not to be proven right again in the bad sense but rather to be proven right in the positive and glorious sense of Nigeria becoming what God had created it to be – a land of plenty and prosperity united for common purpose of inclusive society, common security, shared prosperity, equity, egalitarianism, justice, and equal stake in the Project Nigeria with leadership role of Nigeria for the black race and fair share of global division of labour.

“One ridiculous point that has been touted to justify unjustifiable appointments and selections is ‘competence’. In truth and in reality, genuine competence can be found in any region or section of Nigeria through track record and performance if only people will honestly and sincerely look hard for people with such attainment and attribute. Most of us in good conscience can testify to competence when we see any anywhere. What is masqueraded as ‘competence’ is self-interest and nepotism.

“We have a unique opportunity to correct ourselves by ourselves for the good of ourselves. Those who are preaching division, segregation, separation, and want to use diversity for their own self and selfish interest are enemies of the nation, no matter what else they may disguisedly profess or proclaim.”