A former Chief of Defence Staff and Biafra war hero General Alani Akinriade has slammed former President Olusegun Obasanjo for calling for the cancellation of Saturday’s presidential elections, describing the former head of state as a ‘danger to democracy’.
Obasanjo alleged that the elections were fraught with irregularities, calling the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct fresh polls.
However, Akinrinade, in a press statement on Tuesday said Obansajo’s call was a calculative attempt to short-change the democratic system.
Obasanjo is noted for supporting the candidate of the Labour Party Peter Obi.
“Without any shred of evidence, a former President is challenging the integrity of national elections and calling a seating President to truncate it midway.
“As a General who fought for the unity of this country and one that has witnessed the many twists and turns of our Democratic development, I am certain that Nigeria this time is on the right path. I find it most disturbing and objectionable that a former General and President will introduce such a diatribe into the body politic of Nigeria at such a delicate time as this.
Being not neutral, Obasanjo’s intervention falls short of patriotism and fits perfectly into meddling in the affairs of the state which is already the constitutional responsibility of INEC.
“Nigerians can easily recall the Obasanjo years and his democratic antics and many bullish attempts at circumventing the political process.
“I call on President Muhammadu Buhari to ignore Obasanjo’s recent interruptions and focus on supporting the lawful institution to do its job by allowing the process to run it’s full course.
“President Buhari I know will let the process run its full course and will not intervene in an undemocratic manner to truncate the ongoing political process.
“Luckily, President Buhari is made of finer and more principled democratic stuff. He will not allow Obasanjo to lure him into tainting his democratic credentials in this regard. I recall that in his last trip to the United States, President Joe Biden praised Buhari’s commitment to democratic values and principles. Obasanjo has no such record to be applauded.”
