Former Minister of Information Edwin
Kiagbodo Clark has written a 10-page open
letter to the former President Olusegun
Obasanjo.
Mr. Clark (b. in 1932), who still is a prominent
figure in Nigerian regional politics, described
Obasanjo's own open letter to an 'amiable
gentleman' President Goodluck Jonathan as
'contemptuous,' 'treasonable' and generating
'negative national discourse,' calling Obasanjo a
'mischief-maker and an egomaniac' who himself
is guilty of the things he recently accused
President Goodluck Jonathan of.
"How dare you point accusing fingers at others
when you have a cupboard filled with
skeletons? You have forgotten the saying that 'A
man who lives in a glass house should not throw
stones'," the letter read, in part.
"My dear former President, what do you really
want from President Jonathan? Most of the
various issues you raised in your letter are mere
re-visitation of the many things you did and
failed to do in your 8 years of mis-governance."
Also in his letter, Chief Clark recalls how he has
already wrote a number of open letters to Mr.
Obasanjo in the past, for his 'mismanagement'
of Nigeria affairs with Atiku Abubakar between
1999-2007, and criticized and commented on
Obasanjo's 'incessant interference with the
government of Late President, Alhaji Umaru
Musa Yar'Adua.'
Chief Clark drew reference from the time of
their common service in the Yakubu Gowon
government and Obasanjo's relationship with
all former heads of state that succeeded him to
describe the former President as one who is
determined to shape Nigeria according to his
own fancy.
Clark traced Obasanjo's opposition to Jonathan
as a result of frustration arising from his
failure to manipulate the President on issues
just as he defended the president on his
linkages with his Ijaw home base saying that the
President has unlike his predecessors not given
preferences to his people.
Agreeing with Obasanjo's daughter Iyabo
Obasanjo, who also wrote a letter to her father
and said "Nigeria does not belong to
Obasanjo," Mr. Clark observed that he feels
obliged 'at this point in our national life' to
refute some of the issues highlighted in Mr.
Obasanjo's letter.
On Ijaws:
Obasanjo wrote in his letter to Jonathan: "For
you to allow yourself to be 'possessed' so to
say, to the exclusion of most of the rest of
Nigerians as an 'Ijaw man' is a mistake that
should have never been allowed to happen."
Clark responds: "One may wish to ask why you
think Jonathan is being possessed by Ijaws in
the Presidency? The answer is definitely no." He
then proceeds to name variuos lawmakers and
politicians who are of different ethnicity, and
points out that it is not the Ijaw language that is
the lingua franca at the Presidency now.
"He is the most deetribalized President of
Nigeria and in most case keeps away from his
own people for fear of accusation by you and
your cohorts. We have prominent Ijaw politicians
both men and women who participated fully in
the 2011 election and today they have not been
able to enter the Presidency or received any
patronage from the Jonathan's government.
"(…) Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, in your usual
characteristic hatred and use of sarcastic
remarks about Ijaw, you have again berated and
insulted us the Ijaws in your letter to Mr.
President. Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has never for
once acted nor behaved as an Ijaw man since
he took office as President, and we hold no
grudge against him for that.
"Secondly, as a Nigerian and an Ijaw man, I am
proud to belong to both entities.
"Unlike you, Obasanjo, who is a Yoruba man
first before being a Nigerian, I, Chief E.K. Clark,
am the accepted leader of the Ijaws, while
unfortunately you, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo,
are not accepted as leader of the Yorubas
despite being Head of State twice, because you
lack the virtues and honour deserving of a
Yoruba leader. Your devilish and inciting
remarks about the Ijaws are unfounded.
On Obasanjo's accusing Jonathan and his
predecessors of maladministration,
corruption and incompetence:
"You are today one of the richest men in Nigeria
if not in Africa. In 1999, it was widely reported
in the media that you came out of Gashua
Prison very broke. As a matter of fact, it was
stated you had N20,000 in your bank account as
declared in your Code of Conduct Bureau Form.
In just 8 years, as President of Nigeria, you
metamorphosed from a struggling ex-head of
state, into a life of opulence. You must tell
Nigerians the magic behind the sudden
affluence. When corruption is mentioned,
informed Nigerians know those that foisted the
malady on our nation.
"The Halliburton bribe scandal and the Siemens
case were lightly touched by President Jonathan
in his open reply to you. These two high profile
corruption cases happened during your tenure
as President."
Mr. Clark then reminds how former President
Obasanjo appointed, removed and operated
behind various political fugures, such as
Goodluck Jonathan, Chief Tony Anenih, General
Yakubu Gowon, General Murtala Muhammed,
his Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the late
President Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua,
througout his political career.
"My Dear Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, you have
become an unrepentant troublemaker, as
Nigeria gave you more than you truly deserve.
Hence you see yourself as lord of the manor."
On Jonathan "training snipers" :
"(…) your allegation that President Jonathan is
training snipers in preparation for 2015 is a
diabolical concoction and a figment of your
imagination, as you have no shred of evidence
to authenticate this bogus lie. The same is
applicable to the supposed 1000 political leaders
being on the watch list of the President.
"On a more personal note"
"On a personal note, both of us are regarded as
President Jonathan's father. In fact, according to
you, after God and his parents, you come next
before me and others. You and some of your
children are always at the Villa for one thing or
the other while my children do not know where
the Presidency or Villa is. The only position you
have not occupied is to rule the Presidency from
your Ota farm in Ogun State.
"Your two eldest children, Senator lyabo and
Gbenga have publicly denounced you and have
sworn not to ever speak nor have any
communication with you again until 'thy
kingdom come' because of the wrongs you did
to them. OBJ, what manner of a man are you to
deserve this?"
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