The former Special Adviser, National Assembly Matters to ex-President Shehu Shagari, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai yesterday took a swipe at what he described as unpalatable attack on President Goodluck Jonathan by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, saying he should instead exhibit decorum and decency in his statement bordering on national issues.
Ex-president Obasanjo during the last Democracy Day in Dutse called for a change of leadership, while picking holes in Jonathan’s style of administration.
Yakasai in a statement made available to The Nation in Kano yesterday said that Chief Obasanjo should pursue his political differences with President Jonathan by adopting tolerance, decorum and statesmanship standard while making political statements as expected from the caliber of his person.
“General Obasanjo being a former President and high-ranking leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which is the party in power at the Federal level in the country has every opportunity to seek audience with President Goodluck Jonathan and either offer him whatever advice he has to offer or criticize any policy of his administration that he has cause to disagree with.
“I think that is what is expected of any statesman, particularly people of the caliber of General Obasanjo,”
Yakasai added, pointing out that, “people close to him say when ever General Obasanjo disagrees with a person, he will carry the fight to his place of worship, to his dining table and sometimes, he will even be fighting the person in his dream.
“He is reported to be unforgiving and his method of disagreement with people is sometimes regarded as a matter of life and death.”
Yakasai wondered why Obasanjo should use such occasion to underrate the achievement of the Jonathan administration, especially in the area of micro-economic growth and condemned Obasanjo’s statement in Dutse which he quoted as saying, “you can help someone to get a job but you cannot help that person to do the job”
Yakasai who observed that the above comment by Obasanjo was an open attack on Jonathan’s administration pointed out that Obasanjo was in office for eight years and was reported to have said that the road that led into Dutse is better than the Lagos-Ibadan express way, forgetting that the two roads he referred to are all Federal Roads, “as if that blame should go to the Jonathan’s administration who is barely two years in office.
“To me as a patriotic Nigerian, a democracy day celebration is hardly a suitable occasion for any citizen to make a personal attack on his country’s leader. Whatever difference exist between them, such should have been solved amicably.
“General Obasanjo and I enjoy tremendous goodwill and mutual respect. I respect him as the former President of my country, and he accords me some measure of respect as his elder. Iit is in this spirit that I would like to appeal to the former Ppresident to pursue political differences with some decency and decorum. That is what normally is expected of a man of General Obasanjo’s caliber.
“Despite our difference with NPC leaders during the First Republic, we NEPU leaders as members of the opposition to the NPC never took our political differences with Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa or Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto to the level of attacking their personalities.
“In the light of this and as a veteran politician, I would appeal to President Obasanjo to adopt decorum, tolerance and statesmanship standard in the pursuit of his political differences with others. This is the most honourable path for a man of his stature,” Tanko stated.
