Obasanjo insists on criminal allegations against Kashamu

Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has called the bluff of chairman, Mobilisation and Organisation of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the South-West, Buruji Kashamu to proceed on his plan to go to court over his comment that he is wanted in the United States of America.


Obasanjo through his lawyer, Wale Ajayi in his reply to a letter written to him by Kashamu through his counsel, Alex Izinyon (SAN), alleged that Kashamu had no moral name worthy of any protection.

According to the former President: “The portion of his letter which referred to Kashamu in his open letter to President Jonathan is correct and not misleading,” saying he is ready to justify any aspect of the correspondence which according to him, is already within the public domain.

The former President in his reply entitled, ‘Re: Defamatory publication, injurious and malicious falsehood and unbridled vendetta against Prince Buruji Kashamu,’ dated January 14, said: “The letter does not suggest any form of vendetta and not malicious or misleading in any material particular.”

Buruji in his letter dated December 14, 2013 to Obasanjo complained that the former President in his December 2, 2013 open letter, ‘Before it is too late,’ written to President Goodluck Jonathan, had maligned his character, urging Obasanjo to retract the statement, failing which he threatened to drag him to court.

According to Izinyon: “Those false and malicious statements, which are too extensive to set out in this letter, held our client out to public odium and portrayed him as a criminal involved in narcotics related criminal activities who would have been in jail but for the protection given by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from extradition to and prosecution in the United States of America.

“If however, you choose ‘to sit don look’ we have further instruction without any further notice to you to seek legal redress,” he said.

But, in his reply, Obasanjo’s lawyer, Abeeb Ajayi said that, “the letter referred to and dated December 2, 2013, to Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was authorised by him and the opinion expressed therein particularly with reference to your client is in the interest of the country, Nigeria.

“That his letter does not suggest any form of vendetta and not malicious or misleading in any material particular.

“That the portion of the letter which referred to your client are correct and not misleading and our client is ready to justify any aspect of the reference which is already within the public domain.

“ That he is not ready whatsoever to make any retraction of the said words mostly when it was done in good faith and in the interest of the country.
“In the foregoing therefore, we urge you to be most professional in doing the bidding of your client who only admitted in his open letter to our client that the allegation against him is that of mistaken identity.