Posted by By LUCKY NWANKWERE, Abuja on
Otunba Oyewole Fasawe has given an insight into how things fell apart between him and President Olusegun Obasanjo, who he acknowledged as a long standing friend and confidant.
Otunba Oyewole Fasawe has given an insight into how things fell apart between him and President Olusegun Obasanjo, who he acknowledged as a long standing friend and confidant.
Fasawe, who is at the centre of the controversy surrounding the MOFAS account allegedly linked to the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) said on Thursday that the real problem between him and the president started during his refusal to severe relationship with Vice President Atiku Abubarkar on the order of President Obasanjo.
Although he traced the origin of the problem to sometime in 2002, when second term for the president became an issue, he, however, pointed out that he and Obasanjo finally parted ways over the third term bid.
A close associate of Fasawe, Prince Segun Seriki, who spoke on behalf of his boss, told newsmen in Abuja that following the vice president's opposition to third term bid, President Obasanjo was so worried that he ordered Fasawe to stop going to Atiku if their friendship must continue.
He said the president had to give that order because he realized that Fasawe was of a strong character and so would not join the rank of pretenders who would not have anything to do with Atiku in the day, only to end up as his close allies and confidants at night.
Fasawe, he further stated, did not see any reason he should severe relationship with Atiku and treat him as an enemy for no tangible reason and so in addition to refusing to obey the order, he equally refused to 'oil the third term machinery."
Seriki, a former member of the House of Representatives, said the stage was thus set for strained relationship between the two former friends and consequently trouble for Fasawe, leading to his arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
However, he said that despite harassment and incarceration of Fasawe for three months by the EFCC and the negative impact on his businesses, he remained undaunted and regarded the entire episode as the price he had to pay for his friendship with the president.
He said that the EFCC was in such a hurry to deal with Fasawe that at the tune he was arrested and detained, the loan he obtained from the Trans International Bank (TIB) had not matured for repayment as his company had up to 2008 for that.
According to Fasawe's associate, the crisis of confidence and power play in the Presidency was brought about by the pairing of Obasanjo and Atiku, which he described as faulty. He said in spite of age, the president was junior to Atiku as far as politics was concerned and therefore to subordinate a consummate and experienced politician, like Atiku to a political green horn was faulty.
Seriki described as unfortunate what he said was the president's desperate moves to halt Atiku's presidential ambition, saying despite operating in a democratic setting for quite some time, the president was yet to come to reality that this system is different from the military government which he earlier ran.
He contended that Obasanjo's desperation to stop Atiku was because he had seen that of all those angling for the country's presidency, none is a march to Atiku in terms of political structure and organization.