Ogbeh Alleges Plots for Interim Govt, OBJ Warns Against Coup

Dr Audu Ogbeh, chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), has warned the nation that the postponement of the general election was an indication that the moves to have an interim government installed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led Federal Government were still on.

This is coming as Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, former president, raised the alarm over postponement of the elections.

Obasanjo, also publicly endorsed Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, former military head of state and candidate of All Progressives Congress , to unseat President Goodluck Jonathan.

But Ogbeh, a former national chairman of PDP, who spoke with newsmen in Abuja, disclosed that an interim government was regardless of the declaration of President Goodluck Jonathan at the weekend that May 29 handover date was sacrosanct.

While reflecting on the events that led to the shift of the general election, Ogbeh said “it calls for caution that the Nigerian security hierarchy, which, on February 2, assured Nigerians that they were ready for the elections, now turned around to say they were no longer able to guarantee security.”

According to the APC chieftain,” what is more dangerous is a paragraph in their letter to INEC, which is reported to say that they are seeking six weeks extension in the first instance.”

He asked: “Does this not suggest that we should expect high level theatrical manipulations as the six weeks get closer to convince us that another six weeks will be necessary? Isn’t this is a ploy to ensure we enter May 29 without an election on grounds of nationwide instability?”

According to Ogbeh “today, Nigeria is the world’s laughing stock, losing our sovereignty to foreign troops, ravaged by incurable corruption, helpless in the face of an internal insurrection and unable to conduct even an election. Now, chaos is being cooked as the menu to be served Nigerians in 2015.”

Meanwhile, Obasanjo was in Nairobi, Kenya, to launch a 1,500-page autobiography highly critical of Jonathan.

The book has been banned in Nigeria, pending libel hearings brought by an ally of the president.

“The signs are not auspicious in the wake of the six-week postponement of the general election,” Obasanjo said, adding, “I don’t know whether a script is being played.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission, last weekend, postponed the earlier scheduled February 14 election till March 28, after security chiefs said they could not safeguard the polls while launching a regional military campaign to reclaim territory from Islamist extremists.

Obasanjo,in an interview, said: “I sincerely hope that the president is not going for a broke. “I hope that we will not have a coup… I hope we can avoid it.”

This is the first time Obasanjo has come out openly to support Buhari.

“The circumstances Buhari will be working under if he wins the election are different from the one he worked under before, where he was both the executive and the legislature — he knows that,” said Obasanjo, adding that “he’s smart enough. He’s educated enough. He’s experienced enough. Why shouldn’t I support him?”

He also believed Buhari would be well equipped to combat corruption and restore fighting spirit to an army that had struggled in the face of the onslaught by Boko Haram.

“It’s a question of leadership – political and military,” Obasanjo said of the crisis facing the army.

“I think you need to ask Mr Jonathan how has he let the army go to this extent… Many things went wrong: recruitment went wrong; training went wrong; morale went down; motivation not there; corruption was deeply ingrained; welfare was bad,” he added.

The former leader also expressed dismay at the extent to which billions of dollars in oil revenues had “all disappeared” since he left office, when reserves had reached $45 billion and the government had $20 billion more in rainy day savings.