He said Atiku’s undoing was that he left God out of the plot as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, structure the former Vice President depended upon soon crumbled. Quoting copiously from a section of the book, Segun Adeniyi, former spokesman of late Umaru Yar’Adua, Obasanjo in the book revealed that; “he (Atiku) thought I was powerless and had no clue about the execution of his plan with his group; part of his attack on me was for national chairman of the party to give the first salvo, then other things would follow as his grip on the party would be firm and consolidated. That salvo came in the form of a letter to me from the chairman of the party, Audu Ogbeh, who had fully defected with (Iyorchia) Ayu to Atiku. The letter, which was not the product of any issue or matter discussed with or at any party meeting, came suddenly.
When I received it, I could read the sinister intention behind it. I spent that night writing my reply and I sent it in the morning. My reply was clear. I wondered why Atiku and his group did not realise that with my reply, the battle line was clear or maybe they thought that the seven ingredients would remain intact to the end. My assistants had moles within the Atiku group. Anything that they planned would be reported. That was the case after Ogbeh’s letter. They decided that Ogbeh should appear remorseful and come with the National Working Committee to apologise to me. It was not from their hearts, but to lure me to a ‘killing ground’…There were only two choices left for both of us in our best interest and that of the party – he, leaves as chairman or I leave as leader of the party.”
Obasanjo said he then approached Ogbeh to give him an undated resignation letter. Ogbeh did but addressed it to Obasanjo instead of the party’s secretary. Obasanjo who said he understood the mistake met Ogbeh again and this time, the latter did the right thing. “When I considered it opportune and appropriate, the letter was dated and presented to National Executive Committee of the party, which regrettably accepted the resignation. With that, whatever control Atiku claimed to have over the party began to crumble. But he did not think so and went on to boast that if I made my daughter the national chairman, it would be a matter of weeks not months before he would put her in his pocket. I therefore had to look for a successor chairman, who would be too big, uncompromising and inflexible to be lured and controlled by Atiku. I found such a man in Senator (Dr.) Amadu Ali, whom I had known many years earlier as a medical doctor in the army.”
Obasanjo also indicted Senator Bukola Saraki, ex-governor James Ibori and Babagana Kingibe and Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi of framing up Iyabo, his daughter for corruption. Iyabo was indicted with Adenike Grange, then Minister of Health. This is apart from calling the late Yar’Adua an incompetent ingrate for reversing many of Obasanjo’s policies just as he denied attempting a third term bid and instead heaped the blame on Atiku, who, he said had bought over the media.
He further accused the Jonathan administration of inducing Iyabo to write an open letter which had embarrassed the former president. He said though two of his daughters were induced, Iyabo succumbed because of her character and her mother’s influence. Concerning this, he wrote: “I got a warning that this administration was attempting to induce two of my daughters, including Iyabo, to do a dirty job. I warned them both against it, but because of her character, the influence of her mother and her attitude, Iyabo succumbed; the other daughter did not. I was warned about a former minister of finance, who wrote the reply for Jonathan, and about the writer of the letter to which E. K. Clark appended his signature. Iyabo’s letter and the response to it has been treated as a family issue, so that all the members of the family can be equipped with the other side of the story from me for posterity. If Iyabo was childish and unwise enough to allow herself to be used, no other member of the family should allow himself or herself to be so used.”
Obasanjo, as usual had answers to all the questions posed to him at the book presentation. He told the audience that he resolved to go public with Jonathan since the president had refused to listen to private discussions. He also lamented the lack of mutual trust among the ethnic groups in the country attributing it to the 1966 coup. Before then, he said, his best friend in the military was an Igbo man. Above all, Obasanjo who described himself as an incurable optimist about Nigeria, expressed belief that God is a Nigerian and this is why the country has remained an indivisible entity in spite of its many challenges.
Guests including Professor Ibidapo Obe, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, and Oby Ezekwesili, former Minister of Education, agreed with Obasanjo on the future of Nigeria with Ezekwesili urging Nigeria’s citizens to begin to ask their leaders questions and make them accountable.
Many of those whose ‘dirty secrets’ he may have revealed should be laughing now that Justice Valentine Ashi of an Abuja High Court has ordered the consfiscation of the book from everywhere in the country with an argument that Obasanjo disobeyed the court by publishing it. The court also gave Obasanjo 21 days to state why he should not be punished for contempt of court. Though Realwon Okpanach, Obasanjo’s counsel, has maintained that the ruling would be appealed, the former president had told the guests at the presentation that Kashamu had secured a court injunction after the court’s closing hours and even said in saner climes, such a judge would be sanctioned.
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