By Akinwale Kasali
Former President Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo has debunked the allegation by Elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark, that he hates the people of the Niger Delta.
In an open letter to Clark in response to Clark’s allegations (Clark), of his hatred for Niger Deltans, he reiterated that he had no iota of hatred for the Niger Delta Zone and its people.
Clark, Leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Ijaw National Congress, called out Obasanjo over what he termed adisappointing display of hatred against citizens of the oil-producing states in the country.
The elder statesman was reacting to Obasanjo’s recent attack on the National Secretary of the INC, Ebipamowei Wodu, during a peace and security summit convened by the Global Peace Foundation and Vision Africa in Abuja.
In his open letter titled, ‘My disappointment over your unprovoked outburst against the people of the Niger Delta region’, Clark highlighted alleged display of double standards over resource control by Obasanjo.
However, Obasanjo, in his reply, explained that as President, he followed positions provided by the Constitution in appointments and Resource Control.
In the letter dated December 28, 2021, and titled, My response to the open letter by Clark’, he said, “I have never shown any anger, distraught with Niger Delta region nor any part of Nigeria.
“Some of the languages you have deployed to describe me in your letter are offensive, uncouth and I totally and completely rejected them, I am not inconsistent, hypocritical, unstatesmanly, and nor am I anybody’s lackey.
“You use your own yardstick to judge others. I hope you think and adjust. Negotiation achieves better results than dictation. Revolution for sea-change may rarely happen and then we may continue to languish in frustration and regret with dire judgment in posterity.”
