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Iyabo Obasanjo’s prolonged silence confuses father’s aides and family members
Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, the first daughter of former President Olusegun
Obasanjo has curiously kept mute over a letter she purportedly wrote
her father, several hours after it was leaked to the media.
In the 11-page letter which was exclusively published by Vanguard
newspapers, Ms. Obasanjo-Bello, a former senator reportedly made
scathing remarks about her father’s official and private life. She
described her father as a liar, abuser and hypocrite.
Repeated efforts by PREMIUM TIMES to speak with her on Wednesday to
confirm if she actually wrote the controversial letter were
unsuccessful.
This newspaper repeatedly called Ms. Obasanjo-Bello’s mobile
telephone, sent her multiple e-mails, text messages and left voicemails
on her telephone, but she did not respond to any of them.
Her continued silence has however cast a shadow of doubt about the
claim by her family and some of the former president’s spokespersons
that she did not write the letter.
This newspaper first sent her emails at 10.32 a.m. Nigerian time. We
later obtained her U.S. telephone contact and called her multiple times
beginning at 2.55 p.m. Nigerian time. She did not answer or return the
calls.
We later send her a text message and left multiple voicemails for her. We got no response.
A member of the family who pleaded anonymity for fear of being
harassed by security agencies had told this newspaper in a telephone
interview on Wednesday morning that Ms. Obasanjo-Bello did not write the
letter.
The family member, who claimed to have discussed the matter with Mr.
Obasanjo, said the letter must have been forged because the former
president spoke with his daughter two days ago.
Two other associates of the former president, Tunde Oladunjoye and
Femi Fani-Kayode also denied that the former senator wrote the letter.
“I can tell you that such letter never existed. I can tell you
authoritatively it only existed in the imagination of those who forged
and published it. It is the height of desperation of those who
masterminded it,” Mr.
Oladunjoye, a former deputy governorship candidate
of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ogun State, told PREMIUM
TIMES.
He also insisted Mr. Obasanjo did not receive such a letter from his daughter.
On his part, Mr. Fani-Kayode, a former Aviation Minister in the
administration of Mr. Obasanjo, said based on his knowledge of the
family, the former senator could not have authored the letter.
“I can tell you the so-called letter was forged by those in
government, Mr. Fani-Kayode, a former Aviation Minister told PREMIUM
TIMES in the morning.
“They think they can get Baba that way but they are mistaken. One
thing is that if they want to fight Baba they should face him and leave
his family out of it. Baba has spoken the truth and they should respond
to the issues he raised.”
However, Mr. Fani-Kayode, in a text message he sent to this newspaper
on Wednesday evening, urged Nigerians to stop bothering about the
controversial letter .
“I don’t know what to believe about who wrote the letter to OBJ published by Vanguard Newspaper anymore,” he said.
“Let Iyabo Obasanjo talk because there are conflicting reports. I am
more interested in the letter that Obasanjo wrote to Goodluck Jonathan
and issues raised there than Obasanjo’s private matters.”
Source: Premium Times
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