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Obasanjo Was A Brutal President, Says Buhari Media Organisation

Niyi Akinsiju, and Cassidy Madueke, Chairman and Secretary of BMO, respectively, the organisation said it was worrisome that Obasanjo had always insinuated that all the past heads of state and presidents he had criticised did not perform creditably in office.

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The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of using brutal methods to govern while in office.

BMO also says the statement by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that he would continue to criticise President Muhammadu Buhari is a confirmation that his pre-election criticism was fueled by ego.

This was contained in a statement by the pro-Buhari group in response to  Obasanjo's insistence that he would continue to criticise the President.

The former President made the statement at an event to mark his 82nd birthday on Tuesday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

In a statement signed by Niyi Akinsiju, and Cassidy Madueke, Chairman and Secretary of BMO, respectively, the organisation said it was worrisome that Obasanjo had always insinuated that all the past heads of state and presidents he had criticised did not perform creditably in office.

The pro-Buhari group added that in terms of performance, Obasanjo had a  lot of failings in office, saying that the former President was averse to criticism throughout his tenures in office.

“It is a matter of public record that Chief Obasanjo did not entirely cover himself in glory while in office, especially with the removal and attempted removal of state governors in violation of the constitution. His methods were simply brutal and were in most cases spearheaded by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and in at least two cases, Anambra and Oyo States, led by his enforcers.

“And can anyone forget so soon how Senate Presidents were impeached unceremoniously under his watch, as well as the incident that eventually led to the death of former Senate President Chuba Okadigbo soon after he was tear-gassed at a political rally in solidarity with the then candidate Muhammadu Buhari in 2003.

“The previous elections under Obasanjo in 2003 were hardly different. Chuba Okadigbo, the running mate of the opposition presidential candidate at the time, could not leave his house to vote for himself because soldiers had stationed an armoured tank in front of his house with the nozzle directly facing his gate.

"General Yakubu Gowon is one Head of State who has no record of public criticism of his successors in office. He was Obasanjo’s boss for nine years, from 1966 to 1975 and not once did he utter a public criticism of the former President throughout his two tenures from 1976 to 1979 and 1999 to 2007."