Election: CSOs wary of Obasanjo

The Joint Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria (JACCSON) has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of planning to truncate Nigeria’s nascent democracy.

In a letter to the US, Britain and EU, signed by Musa Omede, its national convener, the group said it has uncovered plans by the former president to cause mayhem of monumental proportion in the country as a means of disrupting the outcome of the general election.

“It is instructive to state that this unholy plot to disrupt our nascent democracy by General Olusegun Obasanjo according to reasonable intelligence is as a result of the likely outcome of the elections that would likely not be in favour of his preferred candidate and his former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar,” the letter read.

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“Recent revelations by the security agencies in Nigeria have given credence to the statement of the Minister of Information Lai Mohammed in a press release where he stated that the Federal Government was in possession of credible intelligence to the effect that widespread violence being orchestrated by the opposition is threatening the 2019 general elections.

“Mr Mohammed had stated in the release that it has credible intelligence that armed bandits and Boko Haram insurgents have been mobilized to engage in massive attacks, and other acts of violence in several states across the country, including Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Benue, Kano, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Plateau, Taraba and Zamfara.

“General Obasanjo in recent time has carried out an unbridled attack on the person of President Muhammadu Buhari on the pages of newspapers in the form of an Open Letter and through other sponsored opinions and editorials.”

Omede said the strategy, according to credible intelligence, is to set the ball rolling for the widespread violence that has been planned.

“The plan is that after the Open Letter attack on the pages of the newspapers, bombs would begin to detonate in public places such as motor parks, markets and places of worship,” he said.

“Also, the activities of kidnappers would escalate beyond human comprehension across the country, as well as the activities of Armed bandits mainly in the North Western part of Nigeria and other places where President Muhammadu Buhari has large followership.”