An attempt by Buruji Kashamu and
those he is working for to stop the
publication of a three-volume book by
former President Olusegun Obasanjo,
appears to have failed as Sahara
Reporters has leaked some critical parts
of the book, saying that it has gone into
circulation.
A source close to Obasanjo confirmed to
SR late last night that copies of the
former president’s exhaustive
autobiography were already available to
buyers in print form.
The source said that the book would
soon be available in an electronic
version that is beyond the jurisdiction
of Nigerian courts.
The book, whose three volumes
chronicle the life of the controversial
former president from birth till this
year, aroused political interest after SR
exclusively reported that Obasanjo
devotes significant pages to paint an
unflattering portrait of President
Goodluck Jonathan…
According to SR, they have already
obtained and read sections of the book
scheduled for formal launch in Nigeria
in a matter of days.
It was reported that the book
characterizes Jonathan as selfish, weak-
willed, callous and incapable of rising to
the challenges of running a complex
country like Nigeria. Obasanjo also
accuses the president of surrounding
himself with aides and political
associates with corrupt tendencies.
Obasanjo’s book dedicates several parts
in the book to point out some of
Jonathan’s actions and inactions he
considers ill-advised or disastrous for
Nigeria. He depicts Jonathan as a man
who has not only destroyed the Peoples
Democratic Party but also led Nigeria in
dire straights.
The book focuses on several instances of
policy somersaults by Jonathan as well
as deliberate actions by the incumbent
president that have imperiled Nigeria’s
progress in the opinion of Obasanjo.
An Abuja-based lawyer and critic of
Obasanjo accused the former president
of seeking to use the book to earn
cheap popularity, adding that Obasanjo
cannot get away from responsibility for
“sponsoring President Jonathan’s rise to
political prominence and the
Presidency.”
“We have been saying it from day one
that President Goodluck Jonathan does
not have the qualities to become a true
leader, but we cannot forget that Chief
Obasanjo single-handedly put him and
the late President Umaru Yar’Adua in
office,” the lawyer said.
Obasanjo’s book also castigates former
President Umaru Yar’Adua, former Vice
President Abubakar Atiku, and former
Governor James Ibori of Delta State,
among other political foes.
In the book, the former president also
cleared the air that he was never
interested in pursuing a third term
while in office.
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