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Obasanjo: Why I Don't Want To Speak On Presidential Election

“I will not dabble into the details of what I call current aspect of Professor Shehu's book because since the emphasis was on the national elections, particularly the presidential election, and the presidential election is now taken to court,” Obasanjo said.

Speaking about the just concluded presidential election would amount to sub judice since the matter is already before the court, former President Olusegun Obasanjo said on Tuesday. 

Obasanjo said this on Tuesday in Abuja at the public presentation of a book titled, 'Election in Nigeria: The Long Road To Democracy’, written by Abdullahi Shehu.

He said that since the matter had been taken to court, he would restrain himself from dabbling into the details of the election.  

“I will not dabble into the details of what I call current aspect of Professor Shehu's book because since the emphasis was on the national elections, particularly the presidential election, and the presidential election is now taken to court,” he said.

“I think talking about it would become sub judice because it has been taken to court.” 

The book dwelled and enunciated on the electoral processes in Nigeria, including the factors and circumstances that led to the defeat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015, and how the APC mismanaged the victory.

While commenting on the book, Obasanjo noted that the book is a comparative analysis of APC’s ‘Next Level’ and the PDP’s ‘Let's Get Nigeria Working Again’.  

" In the introduction, in which election is the bedrock of a democratic government, all modern democracies and old elections, not all elections, are truly democratic. The measure of a democratic election is that it is transparent fair, credible and acceptable,” Obasanjo said.

 ''The problem is, who determines these outcomes in the election? And that is where the concerns are about a sustainable democracy and sustainable democracy, and if an election is fundamental and basic to democracy and good governance.”

The former President explained that any election conducted that is short of integrity is a farce.

Also in attendance at the event were former Head of State Yakubu Gowon and human rights lawyer Femi Falana