The recent outburst by former president Olusegun Obasanjo against incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari may have been part of a game plan to raise a new political plafrom to take over power in 2019, emerging facts have revealed.
According to reports, the plot with the former President at the Center is to push for the former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to emerge as the next President of Nigeria with former minister of Education, Mrs Oby Ezekwesili deputy.
There are reports that Obasanjo has been holding meetings with a group of centrist politicians who constitute members of the new political formation known as the Third Force and which will later metamorphose into a full fledge political party any moment from now.
Findings have revealed that the Press statement issued by the former President against President Buhari was to run down the Present government in his characteristic manner and pave way for the emergence of a new political party in the making.
Obasanjo had ran down successive governments since the days of former President Shehu Shagari, writing personal letters to each of them, all very damning with sensitisation effect on the part of the Nigerian populace.
However, the arrow heads of politicians aiming to launch the new coalition of political parties, according to reports are former president of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Chief Olisa Agbakobo, Mr. Pat Utomi, former presidential spokesperson, Akin Osuntokun, former governor of Cross Rivers, Donald Duke and Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Kwankwaso as the presidential hopeful for the new group was the minister of defence under the second tenure of Obasanjo, why Ezekwesili served as Minister of Education and Solid minerals under the same govt.
According to plans, the new coalition being planned would be built around disaffected members of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other political parties, all expected to mass into it as a formidable political group in Nigeria.
According to reports, the plot by Obasanjo, Oby and others had started with the ill-health of President Buhari when he was twice admitted at a London hospital for an undisclosed ailment.
The calculation was that the president upon his return was never going to be fit enough to even nurse the idea of a second term, let alone have a go at it. This will then pave the way for Kwankwaso, whom former president Obasanjo had hoped will align to his agenda of been able to call the shot despite leaving office several years ago, findings have revealed.
The plot had suffered a set back after the President regained full health, and started waxing stronger by the day, a development that has prodded Nigerians to start urging him to run for another term of four years.
Insiders had revealed that it was when the initial plot to repress the President through propaganda on his ill health had failed that a new plot to rubbish him was hatched to attract attention to the new coalition, by moving attention away from the ruling APC.
The many gaffes of President Buhari which includes allowing a cabal of unelected people to be calling the shots on critical issues of appointments and patronage, refusal to accommodate party faithful’s who have worked for his success, inability to rejig his cabinet to do away with dead woods within and the marginalization of certain sections of the country in the citing of projects and then the mother of all, the Fulani herdsmen issue have provided a fertile ground for the plot to discredit the president and throw up the duo of Kwankwaso and Ezekwesili.
The herdsmen issue is particularly being milked and been amplified across board to sway the so-called middle belt Christian votes as well as dividing the votes in the South West. They are in alliance with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), socio-political groups like the Ohaneze Ndigbo and some members of Afenifere amongst others.
Sources, however, revealed that the Obasanjo’s letter is just one of many plots by the brains behind the new alliance to get Buhari out of power in 2019 and install the duo of kwankwaso and Ezekwesili.
In essence, Obasanjo’s letter is particularly to test the waters following which other plans will be released in due course.
