Indications have emerged that President Goodluck Jonathan was under pressure by his Ijaw kinsmen in the Niger Delta to compel the anti-graft agencies to initiate corruption charges against former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
It was learnt that the Ijaw leaders were of the opinion that the former president was becoming over-bearing and asked President Jonathan to tame him and other leaders of the opposition groups ahead of the 2015 general elections.
Findings showed that Jonathan was being prompted to probe the Obasanjo administration from 1999 to 2007 in order to whittle down the influence of the former head of state.
It was learnt that President Jonathan was asked to refrain from engaging in any verbal war with Obasanjo, but should direct the antigraft agencies to dust up some reports on his administration and initiate his trial for corrupt practices while in office.
The action, according to Jonathan’s kinsmen, should be designed o discredit the former president and dissuade him from galvanising the opposition towards Jonathan’s re-election.
Investigation further revealed that Jonathan was also advised to devise means of taming the leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), especially former Head of State, Gen. Mohammed Buhari (rtd.) and former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Already, it was learnt yesterday that this position had been communicated to the President by a prominent Ijaw leader (name withheld).
Findings by National Mirror also showed that the Ijaw leader told the President that the position represented the aggregate of opinions of the Ijaw ethnic nationality.
It was also learnt that the position of Jonathan’s kinsmen stemmed from the interim review of the 18-page letter written to him by the former president, in which the former head of state reviewed the state of the nation.
Obasanjo, in the letter tittled; “Before it is too late,” offered a damning criticism of Jonathan’s administration and advised the President to honour the controversial agreement barring him from seeking re-election in 2015.
Investigations revealed that Jonathan’s kinsmen were not comfortable with the content of the letter, which they considered as “damaging.”
The Ijaw leaders viewed the letter as part of a grand design to scuttle the legitimate aspiration of their kinsman to renew his mandate in 2015.
To this end, it was learnt that series of meetings of the various Ijaw groups had been slated for this week to formally dissect the letter and respond appropriately.
Consequently, reliable information available to National Mirror yesterday said the meeting of the umbrella body of the Ijaw ethnic nationality, the Ijaw National Congress (INC) has been slated for this week to discuss the controversial letter.
Similarly, it was gathered that other Ijaw groups, especially Izon-Ikemi and Oporoza House, founded and funded by two prominent ex-militant commanders, Chief Tom Ateke and Chief Government Ekpemukpolo, alias Tompolo, respectively, are scheduled to meet this week to deliberate on the content of Obasanjo’s letter.
One of our sources told National Mirror that the Ijaw leaders had advised Jonathan to be pro-active, decisive and take on his opponents frontally ahead of 2015.
The source said; “The Ijaw kinsmen of Mr. President (Jonathan) viewed the letter written by former President Olusegun Obasanjo very strongly. The letter, to say the least, is very damaging and was designed to scuttle the re-election of President Jonathan in 2015.
“Ijaw leaders have therefore advised the President to take on his political enemies frontally if he actually desires to seek re-election. His kinsmen are not comfortable that he (Jonathan), is too docile and they have asked him to sit up.
“Specifically, Mr. President has been advised to dust up the probe of the Obasanjo’s administration in order to put an end to the ‘holier than thou’ posture of the former President.
“We have reached out to him to devise means of taming Obsanjo and other leaders of the opposition, especially former Head of State, Muhammadu Buhari and Bola Tinubu, the stupendously wealthy former governor of Lagos State.
“We expect the President to compel the antigraft agencies to initiate corruption charges against these characters and prosecute them. Mr. President should just find ways to tame them and one of our leaders has communicated this position to him (Jonathan) and he has to be decisive, like in the words of Obasanjo, before it is too late.
“Various Ijaw groups are still meeting this week to get definite reactions to the damaging letter,” added the source, who did not want his name mentioned.

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