Barely a year after he wrote an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari asking him not to seek re-election, former President Olusegun Obasanjo launched another attack on the president yesterday.

Obasanjo also attacked Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in his 16-page address, titled “Points for Concern and Action”, at his residence in Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Oke-Mesan, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

He likened President Buhari’s administration to the era of the late former Head of State, General Sani Abacha as reported by Daily Trust.

“When Abacha decided that he must install himself as  Nigerian president by all means and at all costs, he went for broke and surrounded himself with hatchet men who, on his order and in his interest and at high costs to Nigeria and Nigerians, maimed, tortured and killed for Abacha. Buhari has started on the same path in mad desperation.

“From available intelligence, we have heard of how Buhari and his party are going about his own self-succession project.  They have started recruiting collation officers who are already awarding results based on their projects to actualise the perpetuation agenda in which the people will not matter and the votes will not count.  It is the sole reason he has blatantly refused to sign the revised Electoral Reform Bill into law,” Obasanjo said.

He accused Buhari, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and INEC of plotting to rig the February 16 presidential election.

He alleged that under Buhari’s watch, security institutions “are being misused to fight all critics and opponents of Buhari and to derail our fledgling democracy” adding that “Nigerians must rise up and do what they did in the time of Abacha.”

The former leader also described Buhari’s administration’s tradermoni scheme as “outright idiotic.”

He said: “What an act by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria lawyer, number 2 man in the Executive hierarchy; and what is more, a pastor of one of the Christian movements led by a revered, respected and upright church leader, Pastor E. A. Adeboye. Osinbajo must have gone for, “if you can’t beat them, join them”. A great pity indeed and which makes people ask the questions, “Any hope?”  Yes, for me, there is hope.  Osinbajo has shown the human weakness and proved the saying that the corruption of the best is the worst form of corruption.

“His explanation that it was their government programme can only be construed to be very shallow and lopsided, if not an outrightly idiotic programme.”

‘I doubt INEC’s integrity’

“I personally have serious doubt about the present INEC’s integrity, impartiality and competence to conduct a fair, free and credible election.

“And if the INEC is willing, will the ruling party and government allow it?  From what we saw and knew about Osun State gubernatorial election, what was conclusive was declared inconclusive despite all advice to the contrary,” Obasanjo said.

He urged INEC National Commissioner Amina Zakari “to in honour, stay out and not be seen as a source of contamination of the election.”

He also stated that “the security situation has deteriorated with kidnapping everywhere and Boko Haram more in action and nobody should deceive Nigerians about this.  With the teaming up of Boko Haram and Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP), Boko Haram is stronger today militarily than they have ever been.  Boko Haram has also been empowered by the Nigerian government through payment of ransom of millions of dollars which each administration disingenuously always denies.”

Obasanjo said “Even when figures, facts and statistics are made clear to Buhari, he keeps repeating what is untrue, either because he cannot understand or for mischief purposes and that places him on the level of a pathological liar.”

He viewed the trial of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, at the Code of Conduct Tribunal over alleged non-declaration of assets, as “a ploy to intimidate the judiciary” ahead of elections.

The former president however lauded Buhari for removing Ibrahim Idris as Inspector General of Police (IGP).