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By Bolade Omonijo
Monday, April 19, 2004
ABUJA�PRESIDENT Olusegun Obasanjo last night blamed Governor Bola Tinubu of Lagos State for breaching protocol
during his recent visit to Ekiti State during which he (Tinubu) and former Governors Olusegun Osoba of Ogun State
and Adebayo Adeniyi were put under �house arrest.� President Obasanjo defended the Ekiti State governor, Mr Ayo
Fayose who has been in the eye of the storm for allegedly ordering policemen and soldiers to get Gov. Tinubu and
the former governors �detained� overnight while in Iyin-Ekiti for the burial of the father of one of the Lagos
State commissioners.
The President�s words: �There is protocol in everything involving government. Protocol demands that I don�t go
to any country without informing the President of that country or without being invited. Anytime I�m visiting Lagos,
even when just transiting to my farm in Ota, I inform him (Tinubu) ahead and he arranges to meet me. That is the
way it should be. The host has a duty to ensure the security of the visitor. If a state governor doesn�t know that
another is coming, how can he make necessary arrangement?�
On the allegation that the governor was confined overnight, the president denied that any such thing happened.
He said:
�Nobody confined anyone. Troops will not take that kind of action without referring to me.� On the lingering crisis
involving Governor Orji Kalu of Abia State and Chief Anthony Anenih, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the ruling
People's Democratic Party (PDP), the president frowned at the action of Gov. Kalu for releasing the letter containing
the allegation which was addressed to him to the press first. President Obasanjo said he did not get the letter
until two weeks after it had been released to the public through the media.
�I am not doing anything about it because it has been overtaken by events. I got the letter two weeks after it
was made public. If Kalu wanted me to get it earlier, he knew how to get me. You don�t behave that way,� he said.
The president declared as closed the controversy over creation of new local government areas by some states. He
said the issue had been resolved by the PDP which ruled before the local government elections that only those listed
in the constitution would be recognised. He berated those states that refused to adhere to the party�s position
as engaging in constituional breach. We will not recognise such local governments," he said.
And on the Anambra State debacle, the President absolved the Federal Government and the police authorities of any
blame. He declared: �Yes, one court made a pronouncement ordering the Inspector-General of Police to do something
and he acted. He had to do so otherwise he would be guilty of contempt of court. Until that order is set aside,
it remains the order. That�s the position.�
Reminded that a superior court had set that order aside, the president insisted that he was not aware of that.
He maintained that if the order was with regards to allowing him to continue with his work, the governor didn�t
have to be in the Government House to perform his work.
He said that the PDP, contrary to fears that it might implode, would survive the series of crises it is going through.
He likened the comment that the party might implode to another that Nigeria might disintegrate. He said neither
would disintegrate.
President Obasanjo spoke on the rumour that he would go for another term of office by getting the National Assembly
to amend relevant portions of the constitution. He said: �Even when I had full power to continue as head of state
I did not. I had pressure from internal and external sources but I didn�t.�
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