‘I warned Jonathan not to make Diezani petroleum minister,’ Ex-President says

Obasanjo also said that Jonathan lost in 2015 because he thought he could buy the election.

Obasanjo’s revelations were contained in a book titled “Against the Run of Play,” which was written by former presidential spokesman, Segun Adeniyi.

“I saw the emergence of Jonathan as an opportunity to solve the problem of minority agitation. The three majority ethnic groups in Nigeria can always sort themselves out but not so for the minority. A good example is my state here in Ogun,” he said.

“Despite the best of intentions, nobody from Ogun West has been able to become governor because of this minority issue and it will take a conscious effort to make it happen. So, it was in the context of that I had to plead with prominent people in the North to allow Jonathan run for a term.

“There were certain decisions taken by Jonathan very early in his administration that pointed to the fact that the office was bigger than him and one of them was the appointment of a petroleum minister.

“Jonathan gave me the impression that he was not going to give her the portfolio but at the end he did and we can see the consequence. He, of course, knew what he was doing,” Obasanjo added.

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Obasanjo also blamed certain statements made by Jonathan’s wife, Patience for his 2015 defeat.