Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said some high profile politicians jostling for the presidency ahead of the 2023 elections, are criminals who should be in prison.
Speaking during a symposium to mark his 85th birthday on Saturday in Abeokuta, Ogun State, the former president noted that some of the aspirants have integrity issues hanging over their heads which the county’s two anti-corruption agencies failed to unravel and prosecute them.
He said because of the failure of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) as well as the county’s judiciary to do their jobs properly, the same elements are running around aspiring for positions.
Obasanjo said, “Since 1999, we have changed from one political party or another we have manoeuvred and manipulated to the point that election results are no longer reflections of the will of the people and we seemed to be progressively going back rather than going forward politically, economically and socially.
“We have activities without requite actions and personnel to move us forward. If we continue in the same pattern of recycling, sweet-word campaigning, manoeuvring without the substance of integrity, honesty, patriotism, commitment, outreach, courage, understanding of what makes a nation and what make for development, we will soon have to say goodbye to Nigeria as a nation.
“I cast a cursory look at some of the people running around and those for whom people are running around. If EFCC and ICPC will have done their jobs properly and supported adequately by the judiciary, most of them would be in jail. Any person who has no integrity in small things cannot have integrity in big things.”
