A group, Conscience of Yoruba Nation, has criticised former President Olusegun Obasanjo for his remarks that President Bola Tinubu was not well-prepared to govern the country.

According to the group, which is affiliated with Afenifere, Obasanjo’s comments were driven by hatred and bitterness, motivated by what it described as the “intimidating success” of Tinubu.

Obasanjo recently said in an interview that “a president entered office without a plan and makes pronouncements on issues he has not studied.”

In a statement issued by the group’s convener, Kole Omololu, it argued that Tinubu was indeed prepared, citing his swift actions upon assuming office.

Omololu said, “Nigerians need to understand where General Olusegun Obasanjo is coming from.

“This is a man with the mother of all egos. He wants to be the only successful president from southern Nigeria. That is what he wants as his legacy. And to achieve that, he must undermine every other Southerner who emerges, despite his best efforts to stop them, as President of Nigeria.

“It is for that reason that he undermined former President Goodluck Jonathan by lying that that good man was maintaining a killer squad of former Abacha hitmen to target political enemies.

“Today, his poisonous darts have been aimed at President Tinubu, who he feels has already outshined and out-achieved him in just one year. Nigerians should see it for what it is—sour grapes and envy.

“Nothing could be further from the truth: President Tinubu had a plan and shared that plan with Nigerians before they convincingly elected him as their president, rejecting the candidate sponsored by General Obasanjo.

“And the Tinubu strategy was so well disseminated during the 2023 election campaign season that, even now, we can repeat it by rote. It was as follows:

“Unlike any other President in this republic, including General Olusegun Obasanjo, President Tinubu hit the ground running with his plan, implementing subsidy removal on Day One and floating the naira within weeks. He also achieved local government autonomy through a Supreme Court victory on July 11, 2024, and introduced student loans five days later, on July 17, 2024.

“It’s not just that the President had the courage to implement his plans where others—most notably the Third-Term-seeking Obasanjo—failed; the more significant point is that his reforms are working.”