Yesterday, we reported about how former President Obasanjo blasted Buhari about his governance and the proposed loan,
Here is another report on how the House of Reps accuses the Former President of trying to sabotage Buhari’s administration. continue the previous report here

This is a detailed report Daily trust… read below

” Former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s
recent statements are aimed at bringing down the government of President
Muhammadu Buhari, the House of Representatives said yesterday.

The lower chamber was reacting to comments made the ex-president
at a lecture in Lagos in which he dressed down the National Assembly
describing it as “a den of corruption a gang of unarmed robbers.” The
former president also hit out at the judiciary, the military and the
presidency.

Addressing a press conference yesterday, House spokesman, Abdulrazak
Namdas (APC, Adamawa), hit back at Obasanjo, accusing accused him of
introducing corruption in the National Assembly the first day he assumed
office as president in 1999, and blackmailing every government that he
is not part of.

“It is unfortunate that he has started his very familiar method of
bringing down governments. He did it to Alhaji Shehu Shagari, he did it
to Gen. Buhari, he did same to Gen. Babangida, he attempted to bring
down Gen. Abacha before he imprisoned him for treason; he made frantic
efforts to derail the government of President [Umaru Musa] Yar’adua when
he couldn’t use him. He supported President Goodluck Jonathan but when
he refused to take dictation, he turned against him. He supported
President Buhari, but since he has sensed that Nigeria is having
economic difficulties under him, he has pounced to derail his
government.

“The way Chief Obasanjo talks gives the impression that he is a
lifetime opposition leader who has never held any office. What did he do
about the issues he raised in his eight years as President?” he asked.

On the former president’s position that the House was threatening the
life of the suspended former chairman of its appropriation committee,
Abdulmumin Jibrin, who exposed the corruption perpetrated in the 2016
budget, Namdas said Obasanjo had allowed himself to be hoodwinked.

“We have repeatedly maintained that there was no ‘padding’ of the
2016 Appropriation Act, which is a legitimate document passed the
National Assembly, authenticated the Clerk to the National Assembly
as provided in the Acts Authentication Act and assented to Mr.
President. It is most unfortunate that a former President of Chief
Obasanjo’s stature would allow himself to be hoodwinked and procured a
renegade member of the House, who embarked on massive propaganda and
lies just because he was removed from office,” he said.

Namdas, who said the House would ordinarily not join issues with
Obasanjo, said all the ex-president’s allegations on the National
Assembly were outright lies and misstatement of facts.

He also said the budget of the National Assembly is not high as
alleged Obasanjo, adding that the federal legislature was “grossly
underfunded and is hampered from effectively and legitimately carrying
out its constitutionally assigned functions.”

Namdas said the National Assembly Budget funds a bureaucracy of about
5,000 civil servants and has some agencies under its purview such as
the National Assembly Service Commission with its own staff of about
500. 

“National Assembly Budget also funds the National Institute for
Legislative Studies, which is a legislative think-tank and highly rated
academic institution that serves both National and State Houses of
Assembly and even international legislators,” he added.

Namdas said no member of the House of Representatives receives N10m
every month, adding that the amount each member takes monthly was not
anything near what directors in some agencies take individually.

He said “Undoubtedly, the former president Obasanjo is understandably
angry with the National Assembly as an institution having foiled his
ambition for a third-term in office even after trying to corrupt the
members with a bribe of at least N50m each. Lest we forget, the person
who introduced corruption to the National Assembly is Chief Olusegun
Obasanjo.” 

Lawyers differ over ex-president’s remarks

Meanwhile, senior lawyers have also reacted to the former president’s comments.

A former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief OCJ
Okocha (SAN), said it is serious and disturbing that a former president
and the National Assembly can be engaged in allegations and counter
allegations. 

“What this shows is that we need to really show seriousness in this
war against corruption. We cannot continue to live with just
allegations, specific incidents should be focused on and thorough
investigation carried out and anybody found to have corruptly enriched
himself or other persons should be dealt with accordingly. We can’t just
continue to be making allegations against people or institutions and
leave it at that.”

Abiodun Layonu (SAN) said he believes that Nigeria and Nigerians will
be the ultimate beneficiaries of the verbal confrontation. “When
Obasanjo reveals what he knows and any investigation is carried out and
the National Assembly comes out with what they have, Nigeria will
benefit. It should be encouraged.”

He said the comments should be taken seriously “even though the speaker is known to be given to exaggeration.” 

Also commenting, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) said the House of
Representatives is not far from the truth in terms of allegations of
corruption under Obasanjo’s presidency. He said corruption is not just
in the giving and receiving of bribe, adding that mis-governance, which
was prevalent under Obasanjo, is the worst form of corruption. 

He said it was under Obasanjo’s administration that Nigeria was rated
as the most corrupt country for three years under anti-corruption bar
of Transparency International. He said Nigerians still remember how the
former President wanted to remain in power against the provisions of the
Constitution and how he turned the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) to “an attack dog” to go after his political enemies.
He added that Nigerians still remember the numerous scandals like
Halliburton, the National Identity Card scandals that happened under his
watch.

“Obasanjo cannot be the yardstick of measuring ethical standards,” Ozekhome said.

Obasanjo’s consistent attacks on N/Assembly

Daily Trust reports that this is not the first time former President
Obasanjo will be coming down hard on the National Assembly. Earlier in
January this year, Obasanjo wrote a letter to the leadership of the
National Assembly where he accused both chambers of corruption.

In July this year, Obasanjo, during a visit to the presidential
villa, said the allegations of budget padding in the National Assembly
suspended lawmaker Abdulmumin Jibrin had vindicated him, adding “if
there are people who didn’t believe what I said in the past, then you
now say that what has come out confirms what I said in the past.”

In October this year too, Obasanjo, while speaking in Abeokuta, Ogun
State, during the opening of the 8th National Council on Industry, Trade
and Investment, said constituency projects members of the National
Assembly must stop. ”

source: Daily Trust