Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) Chairman, Prof Itse Sagay (SAN) on Tuesday said former President Olusegun Obasanjo was suffering from what he called “power withdrawal syndrome”.
He said this while reacting to recent statement by the former president attacking President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
Sagay in a statement on Tuesdat said Obasanjo lacked the qualities that mark the status of a former President, such as quiet dignity, respect, discretion, decorum, discipline unlike other past presidents.
The statement read: “Obasanjo does not have a single one of these qualities.We have had a number of former heads of state, namely Gowon, Shagari, Babangida, Abubakar Salami and Jonathan.
“All of these have exercised discretion, restraint and self-discipline in relation to their successors, but not Obasanjo.
“Obasanjo’s “boisterous, aggressive and hectoring attitude” towards succeeding Presidents meant he was suffering from the effects of leaving office.
“It strikes me as a case of one who has never recovered from the loss of power. By his meddlesomeness, rude and uncouth attitude towards later heads of state, it is clear that he is addicted to a substance called ‘power’, and is angry and resentful towards any other person exercising it,” Sagay said.
Sagay said Obasanjo has never recovered from his power addiction and thinks he is still the President-General of Nigeria for life,hence reason for backlash on his successors.
Sagay added: “Obasanjo believes that he can break all rules and ethics but it is a crime for others to even appear to follow his footsteps in that regard.
“He is a man who is not conscious of a sense of wrongdoing and is probably unaware of the long list of depredations trailing his footsteps.
“The man is not just immoral, he is worse; he is amoral, i.e., he lacks a sense of right or wrong.
“Obasanjo is now an old man. It is now imperative that he learns to exercise some discretion and restraint in his public statements.
“His bombastic, false, misleading and destructive outbursts, are not befitting of a so-called Elder Stateman, even more less of a former president.Obasanjo, let Nigeria be! Go to Owu and rest!”
