Elder statesman and Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, has written a letter to former president Olusegun Obasanjo, wherein he described the former President as a liar, manipulator and a hypocrite.
Obasanjo had in his 18-page letter to President Jonathan dated December 2, 2013, made some scathing comments on Clark, but in his 10-page letter, titled: 'Let The Truth Be Told Before It Is Too Late,' and made available to journalists in Abuja, Clark said to Obasanjo, "Mr. former President, I will also like to use the language of your daughter, Iyabo to describe you to Nigerians. You are "a liar, manipulator, two face hypocrite" and that "you have egoistic craving for power and live a life (where) only men of low self-esteem and intellect thrive."
Mr. Kayode Ajulu, the Legal Adviser to Clark confirmed to THISDAY that the elder statesman wrote the letter to Obasanjo. In the letter, Clark also described Obasanjo as "an ego maniac who always want to play to the gallery."
According to him, "Ordinarily, I never intended to join in the affray of accusations and counter accusations between a former president and a sitting president and a daughter-in-between. But, 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 President Goodluck Jonathan, who 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.
"In addition, I want to buttress the assertion that all Nigerians are equal no matter where they come from, that is no one is a second class citizen of this nation. You have no right to plunge Nigeria into crisis as your past actions and recent open letter to the president connotes. The generality of Nigerians think your letter is treasonable," Clark said.
The former Minister of Information further said to Obasanjo: "My dear Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, you have become an unrepentant trouble maker, as Nigeria gave you more than you truly deserve. Hence you see yourself as lord of the manor. You have without recourse in the past embarrassed all past Heads of State and Presidents in Nigeria through open letters and unsavory comments. In such letters, you have always alleged maladministration, corruption and incompetence against them".
The Ijaw leader said while it was not disputable that Obasanjo was instrumental in Jonathan emergence as president, he added that the trouble between Obasanjo and Jonathan was that the president refused to be dictated to by Obasanjo.
Clark, therefore, said: "Nigerians are aware that you set the stage for the emergence of Goodluck Jonathan as President of the Federal Republic. But the saying goes that if you present a gift of goat to a friend you must let go of the tether. You are probably different. Right from the inception of the Jonathan presidency, your body language indicated that you want to play the role of the piper, that is, dictate how Jonathan runs the government, a phenomenon you did not tolerate from those who put you in office in 1999.
"An incident that played itself out then will suffice. You masterminded the removal of Chief Tony Anenih, the then PDP Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) and appointed yourself thinking the position will give you powers to control and manipulate the president. The futility of your actions dawned on you when you realised Jonathan is his own man. And in frustration you resigned as PDP Board of Trustee Chairman. You had thought the president will kneel before you begging that you stay on, but he never did. Every Nigerian therefore, knows that you connived, with PDP renegades and opposition parties to ridicule and undo President Jonathan and the government because he refused to be your puppet."
On the former president's corrupt tendency, Clark said: "My dear Obasanjo, I was your colleague in the General Yakubu Gowon government in 1975. You were then the Minister of Works. The Head of State directed you to develop the Tin Can Island Port. It was widely rumoured then that you carved out a portion of land from the area earmarked for the project for yourself, the area now known as Beach land Estate in Apapa, Lagos. Your clandestine usurpation of the piece of land led to series of litigations with your front man, in which I believe you are still probably embroiled."
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