The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has reacted to the letter written by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to President Goodluck Jonathan and the reply by the president, saying that such open altercations should be avoided in favour of confidential correspondences.
The organisation shared this opinion in view of the personal and political relationships between both men which have profound effect on the pace of development of the Nigerian project.
In an email sent to Channels Television correspondent in Kaduna, the ACF Publicity Secretary, Mr Anthony Sani, noted that since the issues had been made public, it was good that President Goodluck Jonathan replied Obasanjo’s letter, while it would be left for Nigerians to pass their judgement in the larger interest of the country.
Part of the text read: “Perhaps, if the Presidency had gotten used to explaining issues of national importance to Nigerians as they arose, and allowed Nigerians to pass their verdict, it would go a long way towards serving the larger interest of our democracy and open governance.”
Other Reactions
On his part, a former governor of Kaduna State, Balarabe Musa, tasked the Nigerian media and the National Assembly to investigate all the allegations raised in Obasanjo’s letter, stating that the nation’s security agencies are incapable of investigating the allegation since all of them are under the President.
According to him, rather than Nigerians condemning Obasanjo for speaking out on what he felt was bad in the Jonathan administration, he should be commended for exhibiting statesmanship. He therefore faulted former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon and Theophilus Danjuma for condemning Obasanjo’s action.
He urged the two past leaders to speak out on the issues raised in the letter instead of keeping quiet. Balarabe Musa insisted that most of the issues raised in Obasanjo’s letter, such as training snipers that will eliminate some targeted politicians, high level of corruption in the Jonathan government are incontestable facts that the opposition have cried out in the past.
However, the immediate past chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Reverend Samuel Kujiyat, condemned Obasanjo for expressing whatever grudge he had with President Jonathan in public, even when the former president had unlimited access to the president. He commended President Jonathan for replying Obasanjo, insisting that the former president through his utterances is trying to destabilize the Jonathan administration.
Kujiyat stressed that most of the issues raised by Obasanjo such as corruption and terrorism in the North-East did not start from the Jonathan administration. He stated that the president was doing much to bring the insurgency under control.
He appealed to Obasanjo to trade carefully as he does not own the country.
Former military governor of Kaduna state, Dangiwar Umar, said that it was “a family matter which needed no outsider’s intervention”.
He said that what was happening between Obasanjo and President Jonathan was a disagreement between father and son, which would be settled sooner or later.