Itse Sagay, the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), has described former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s recent comment on President Muhammadu Buhari’s performance in office as ‘inappropriate’ and ‘insulting’.
The former President in a letter reminiscent of the one he wrote to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan in 2013, released Tuesday urged president Buhari not to seek re-election, saying he has performed poorly since assuming office in 2015.
But in his reaction, Sagay accused Obasanjo of hypocrisy, saying the former president pursued a third term when he was in power.
In an interview with The Nation newspaper, Mr. Sagay expressed surprise at the content of Mr. Obasanjo’s letter, adding that the former president should learn to ‘respect other people’.
“I saw Obasanjo’s comments and I could not believe my eyes, that a man who tried to get a third term is discouraging someone else from getting a second term. It doesn’t make sense,” he said.
“I think Obasanjo should try and respect other people. He has achieved a lot. He is a great man and I respect him. But he should learn to respect other people and think of them as being, at least, as good as himself.
“I think it is insulting for a man who wanted third term to tell somebody else not to want second term. It is most inappropriate, and for a former head of state to say so is most improper.”