Adams Oshiomhole, the national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has said former President Olusegun Obasanjo could end up in jail after prosecution should Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari decides to probe the power sector.
Obasanjo, Nigeria president from 1999 till 2007, met countryās electricity generation capacity in 1500 megawatts and left it at 3000 megawatts of electricity after spending $16 billion on power projects.
Nigeriaās power, works and housing minister Babatunde Fashola in August 2018, said Buhari government had improved the power generation capacity to 7000 megawatts.
However, Oshiomhole, a former governor of Edo State, while speaking at the opening of Plateau State governor Simon Lalongās reelection campaign at the Rwang Pam Stadium in Jos, questioned Obasanjoās activities on Nigeriaās power sector.
āHe (Obasanjo) and his vice-president (Atiku Abubakar) spent $16bn on the power sector, after eight years there was more darkness in Nigeria than when they assumed office,ā Oshiomhole said.
According to Oshiomhole, āIf Mr President pursues the answer to that question to its logical conclusion, he must put Obasanjo on trial.ā
Despite electricity instability in major parts of the country, current Nigeria government claimed it has improved power supply than it was in 2015 when Buhari was elected.
Oshiomhole however, said the failings of Nigeria in ensuring power supply to its citizens began in the days of Obasanjo as president.
āObasanjo said in 1999 that if he was elected President with his vice-president, he would fix the power sector in six months and that there would be electricity supply all over Nigeria. Many years later, we realised what he meant.
āSo when President Muhammadu Buhari took over in 2015, he asked a question: where is the power?ā Oshiomhole said.
Although Obasanjo supported Buhariās election as president in 2015 til early 2018 when the former said Buhari lacked capacity to govern Nigeria.
Obasanjo thereafter withdrew his support for Buhari and threw his weight behind his former vice-president Atiku Abubakar to unseat Buhari, who is seeking re-election in the 2019 general election.
Oshiomhole said it was disheartening to know that those Obasanjo said supervised the collapse of the power sector and other sectors of the economy had regrouped to return to power.
āThey can never change their colours. Already, Atiku has said he would sell the NNPC if elected. If given the chance, Iām sure he would sell the country. So, Nigerians should not vote them during the next election,ā Oshiomhole said.
He urged Nigerians to reject them in the forthcoming general elections to enable the country to move forward.