NEWS
I’m old to keep silence on 2023 election, it was a show of shame – Obasanjo
Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has referred to the recently concluded 2023 presidential, governorship, and legislative election as a “show of shame.”
Speaking in Abuja on Thursday at the presentation of a book written by Tunji Olaopa, Obasanjo expressed his disappointment in the election and its aftermath.
According to the former president, the election was characterized by widespread violence, voter intimidation, and tribal aggression, which have made the country more divided than ever before.
He stated that he is too old to keep quiet on national issues and described the election outcome as a “sickening show of shame.”
Obasanjo urged the incoming administration to take necessary steps to promote national reconciliation, adding that there was a need to address the root causes of the divisions in the country.
The former president also criticized the attitude of some political leaders, whom he accused of being more interested in power and self-enrichment than in the welfare of the citizens.
He said; “Given what we saw during the election, Nigeria is now even more divided and more corroded than we thought. This places a deep onus on any administration following the current one, to urgently facilitate the process of national moral rearmament and national reconciliation for the aggrieved and will lead us across Nigeria and to assuage the youth.
“This must be done in sync with the imperative of national value orientation that Nigeria requires to build a collective sense of enduring and local values and national belonging.
“Let me conclude by stating clearly that I am now too old to keep quiet and watch Nigeria’s seemingly clueless launch into dystopia. All efforts are now required from all committed patriots to rescue the nation from the precipice. And when I look at the audience I have a feeling that among the people who can do it and who must do it are some of you here.
“It has become my own personal obligation, continuing in my relentless service as a letterman, dedicated in my twilight years to say the truth, as I see it, so as to push Nigeria in the direction of our collective aspirations. What is our collective aspiration? A better society where all Nigerians can become what the Almighty God destined [them] to be.
“At times like this, some of us have to adopt the attitude of being known to be blind and not being afraid of the dark. But we must continue to work for the light of all.
“Governance in Nigeria now calls for thinking outside the box in terms of development financing, this has become inevitable in the face of Nigeria’s dwindling fortune, in oil revenue, Nigeria’s huge foreign indebtedness and the urgency of diversifying Nigeria’s neocultural economy”.
Obasanjo’s comments come amid growing concerns about the state of the country’s democracy, particularly regarding the conduct of elections. There have been reports of violence and electoral malpractices in several states during the 2023 polls, leading to widespread condemnation from both local and international observers.
Many Nigerians have expressed their disappointment with the outcome of the election, which they believe was not a true reflection of the people’s will. There have been calls for electoral reforms to ensure free, fair, and credible elections in the future.
