All African Leaders Are Happy That Jonathan Lost - Olusegun Obasanjo

While talking to an audience at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington DC, former President Olusegun Obasanjo said African leaders were happy over the defeat of President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 presidential election.

According to him, his checks in a number of African countries suggested they were happy over the result of the election. He referred to President Goodluck Jonathan as a moving train who was providentially stopped from collapsing Nigeria.

    “I have visited six countries since the election, they are as happy about the results as we are in Nigeria. It is good not only for Nigeria, it is good for Africa and I believe it is good for the world.”

Mr. Obasanjo, who led the African Union Observation Mission to the April 2015 General Election in Sudan, spoke on Thursday at a Washington DC event.

PremiumTimes reports that the former president described Nigeria as a country that obsessively plays “a dangerous game of moving close to the precipice”. He said the country came close to disintegration in the run-up to the 2015 elections but switched swiftly to the path of redemption after the polls.

    “I hope we will not fall over one of these days,” he said.

He said one month to the election, no one believed “we will have a peaceful election that is reasonably free and fair.”

Describing his role in the election as that of a person standing on the track of a moving train, the former president said during the countdown to the elections, he faced the option of “jumping off” the tracks or “be crushed” if the train did not providentially get “derailed and stop.”

He said he did not jump and was not crushed adding that “at every stage, there must be leaders imbued with sufficient courage and will to stand firm when you have to stand firm.”

He described the results of the elections as what Nigerians “deserve” though some Nigerians “did not want it”.

Mr. Obasanjo was the featured speaker at the United States Institute for Peace (USIP) event titled What is Right with Africa: Reframing Africa’s Leadership Challenges. He made these remarks in response to a question by Princeton Lyman, a former ambassador to Nigeria.

Mr. Obasanjo observed that Nigeria’s tendency to flirt with near-death experiences stretches back to colonial times when it almost cost the country the chance of gaining political independence from Britain.

Recalling colonial-era disagreements over self-rule, the former President said at a stage, advocates of self-rule from the Eastern and Western Regions decided to “let the North go” since their leaders were reluctant to accept regional autonomy back then.

    “But reason prevailed,” he said, “East and West got internal autonomy in 1957, North got same in 1959 and the whole country got independence in 1960.”

Listing the 1964 post-election violence in the south west and the 1966 coup d’etats which led to “pogrom and civil war” as other self-destructive phases in the country’s history, the former president remarked that Nigeria emerged from all of these as “one entity” in spite of contrarian speculations.

    “Not only did we survive the civil war but, within nine years, somebody from the rebel side, as we called them, and somebody from the vandal side, as they called us, became president and vice-president of Nigeria. Not many countries achieve that,” he said.

President Obasanjo described the 2015 election as “almost in the same category” as other near-death experiences in Nigeria’s history. He said one month to the election, no one believed “we will have a peaceful election that is reasonably free and fair.”

    “I think we are now building institutions that can withstand what we may see as danger to good governance in Africa. The election has moved Nigeria one very important step up in our democratic dispensation, process and practice.”

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Posted: at 25-04-2015 07:00 AM (9 years ago) | Addicted Hero

pot calling kettle black 

Posted: at 25-04-2015 07:14 AM (9 years ago) | Addicted Hero

It's not good to insult an elder but obj doesn't deserve to be called an elder in Naija. We all know how he wanted to become a life president if not for Naija senators then. Foolish man who chose to disgrace his country in front of Oyibo maybe bcos of burger they will serve him after the speech.

Posted: at 25-04-2015 08:12 AM (9 years ago) | Upcoming

What a shameless man, insulting all African leaders with his senseless speech.

Posted: at 25-04-2015 08:43 AM (9 years ago) | Gistmaniac

Nawoo but why

Posted: at 25-04-2015 09:17 AM (9 years ago) | Hero

Brother don't mind him, when an elder acts like a kid, u treat him as one. He is very good at poking nose into other people's administration but made a caricature of leadership when he was there.

Posted: at 25-04-2015 09:36 AM (9 years ago) | Upcoming

Dis baba sef!

Posted: at 25-04-2015 06:35 PM (9 years ago) | Gistmaniac

This Baba when plan third term in office still dey talk of s gentle president when do the right thing. Shame on you, you were chased out of office by our senators that refused your third term plan

Posted: at 25-04-2015 08:54 PM (9 years ago) | Gistmaniac

Thanking you obj for saying this election  was free and fair cos during your time, elections were do or die affair and there were political killings such as BOLA Igeh,Harry Marshal, funsho Williams, Chuba Okadigbo etc and impeachment of governors and senate presidents who are not at your favored list.GsM calls was #50 per minute.you did all you could to finish Nigeria.the wrath of God will soon visit you,old fool

Posted: at 25-04-2015 10:46 PM (9 years ago) | Newbie

This shameless CHIMP again. I do not blame you instead i blame the US and Obama for granting you a leader previlage instead of sending you to the ICC where you belong to answer for the masacre of the Odi comunity and other crimes you comited while in the office. One would believe that you have a change of heart after God rescued you from the hands of Abacha. Instead you are everywhere sowing the seed of hate and discord. God is washing. It is no suprise that even your family members are disapointed in you . Shame on you OBJ.

Posted: at 26-04-2015 12:03 AM (9 years ago) | Upcoming