Ijaw Youths Attack OBJ, Defend GEJ

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has come under attack following his recent verbal attacks on ex-President, Goodluck Jonathan.

Ijaw youths from the nine states of the Niger Delta region, under the aegis of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), criticized Obasanjo, describing his comments as reckless, condemnable and baseless, Leadership reports.

Obasanjo, while delivering a convocation lecture at the Benson Idahosa University, Benin city, Edo state, stated that the Niger Delta region will be affected negatively because of the actions and inactions of Jonathan’s tenure as President.

The angry youths, in a statement signed by its spokesman, Hon. Eric Omare said, Jonathan’s five years in office was far better than Obasanjo’s eight years in office.

The group added that Obasanjo worked against Jonathan because he refused to be his puppet in office.

“As usual, Obasanjo does not want anybody in Nigeria to be greater than him. If Obasanjo has forgotten, we wish to remind him that because of his reckless impunity in rigging elections, President Yar’Adua on assumption of office had zero regard in the international community.

“However, President Jonathan has redeemed this badly battered image by reforming the electoral system as elections in Nigeria today are substantially free, fair and credible with the consequent goodwill it has generated for Nigeria in the international community. President Buhari would not have been receiving the highest respect before President Obama in the United States now if not for former President Jonathan’s efforts in reforming the electoral system in Nigeria,” the statement read.

According to the IYC, Obasnajo’s comment was a deliberate attempt to dent Jonathan’s towering image in the international community.

Just last week, Obasanjo had said that choosing the late former President Umaru Yar’ Adua as his successor was the best choice he could make at that time. According to him, he chose Yar’Adua because the others, who wanted the post, were corrupt.

He added that though he had a hand in President Jonathan’s emergence, he couldn’t help him to do his job as the nation’s Chief Executive, saying those who voted for Jonathan are also as guilty as they say he is.

Naij