Open Letter: GEJ replies OBJ

President Goodluck Jonathan has dismissed as “most reckless” and “unjustifiable” a fiercely scathing letter he received from former President Olusegun Obasanjo, in which Mr. Obasanjo accused him of lying, condoning corruption, and leading Nigeria to the brink of collapse.

A statement by the president’s aide, Reuben Abati, said the allegations by the former president were “baseless and indecorous.”

The statement said Mr. Jonathan has directed his aides not to respond to the barrage of attacks and allegations from Mr. Obasanjo.

Mr. Jonathan will personally respond to the charges at the “appropriate time”, the statement said.

“While many patriotic, objective and well-meaning Nigerians have already condemned the leaked letter as self-serving, hypocritical, malicious, indecent, and very disrespectful of the highest office in the land, President Jonathan has directed that none of his aides or any government official should join issues with Chief Obasanjo over it,” Mr. Abati said.

“The president himself will, at the appropriate time, offer a full personal response to the most reckless, baseless, unjustifiable and indecorous charges levelled against him and his administration by the former Head of State.”

In the highly acerbic letter, Mr. Obasanjo laid out a series of allegations against Mr. Jonathan, accusing him of corruption and ineptitude.

Mr. Obasanjo lamented that Mr. Jonathan had become terribly divisive and clannish, destroying his own party, polarizing the country along regional and religious lines and ridiculing Nigeria in the comity of nations.

He blamed Mr. Jonathan for the crises tearing the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, apart, and accused him of lacking in personal integrity by consistently lying about his ambition for a new term of office.

Statement by the president’s spokesperson, Reuben Abati:

OBASANJO’S LETTER UNBECOMING, SELF-SERVING AND HIGHLY PROVOCATIVE

We have noted the publication on several websites today of a letter recently written by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

The Presidency acknowledges that it has indeed received the said letter from Chief Obasanjo.

We however find it highly unbecoming, mischievous and provocative that a letter written by a former Head of State and respected elder statesman to President Jonathan has been deliberately leaked to the mass media in a deplorable effort to impugn the integrity of the President and denigrate his commitment to giving Nigeria the best possible leadership.

While many patriotic, objective and well-meaning Nigerians have already condemned the leaked letter as self-serving, hypocritical, malicious, indecent, and very disrespectful of the highest office in the land, President Jonathan has directed that none of his aides or any government official should join issues with Chief Obasanjo over it.

The President himself will, at the appropriate time, offer a full personal response to the most reckless, baseless, unjustifiable and indecorous charges levied against him and his administration by the former Head of State.

Reuben Abati
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
December 11, 2013