Chief Olusegun Obasanjo
The National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, may invite former President Olusegun Obasanjo to shed more light on the allegation that his godson, President Goodluck Jonathan, was training no fewer than 1,000 snipers with a view to using them to perpetuate himself in power.
But Chief Obasanjo, when contacted on phone on whether he would appear before the NHRC, said he does not want to react to speculation.
Speaking through his media aide, Mr Tunde Oladunjoye, he told Vanguard that he does not want to comment for now, adding “when we get to the bridge, we will cross it.
“We are not commenting on it. We are not commenting on speculation, when we get to the bridge we will cross it. I have Baba mandate not to comment on this issue. Go to the human rights commission and ask about the criteria of doing things,” Oladunjoye said.
It will be recalled that Obasanjo had in the controversial 18-page letter on December 2 last year, accused Jonathan of keeping some perceived political opponents on a ‘watch list.’
Immediately after the letter was made public, Rivers State governor, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, who has been having a running political battle with the President and wife, Patience, claimed that he was on the presidential watch list.
However, a competent source at the NHRC told Vanguard that the commission would decide next week on what mode to use in handling the assignment, which the Presidency forwarded to it.
The source, which did not want to be quoted because she had not been mandated to speak on the matter, said that the agency had a standard method of investigating such allegations and would take appropriate action from next Monday.
The source, said “We are still studying the letter sent to us by the Federal Government and we have a standard rule of dealing switch such a matter. No decision has yet been taken on how to handle the petition by the Presidency, but we will soon determine whether to invite the petitioner to shed more light on the issues raised by him or not.
“No panel has ever been set up to probe Obasanjo, as we have a standard method of dealing with such petition,” the source added.
Neither the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Professor Bem Angwe, nor its spokesman, Mallam Muhammad Ladan, could be reached for comments on the probe of the presidential petition against Obasanjo.
Numerous calls placed to the phone numbers of the top officials indicated that they had been switched off throughout the holiday period.
But indications emerged yesterday that Obasanjo might not be ready to be drawn into further discussion on the letter he wrote to Jonathan.
Obasanjo had said through one of his media aides, Tunde Oladunjoye that he had done his duty as an elder statesman and would no longer be ready to say more on the missile he fired to his political godson, Jonathan.
“Baba, as he already indicated in his December 2, 2013 (letter), does not wish to make further comments beyond the contents of his last letter to Mr. President or react to the said letter/response from Dr. Jonathan
“I will maintain my serenity, because by this letter I have done my duty to you as I have always done, to your government, to the party, PDP, and to our country, Nigeria,” Obasanjo maintained.
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