Iheanacho Nwosu, Abuja
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has slammed Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola over his claim that his government went through hell in the hands of the Jonathan-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration.
The former president said the governor should, rather than play to the gallery by passing buck , hide his face in shame that he has failed live up to expectation.
He said these in a statement signed by his Media aide, Ikechukwu Eze.
Jonathan insisted that Aregbesola is the architect of his failings.
Earlier, the Osun governor described Jonathan’s administration to newsmen in the state as the worst in the history of Nigeria.
He said the country experienced the most terrible economic life under his administration.
Said Aregbesola: “If I have to answer you literally, I don’t regret being a governor but philosophically, the only regret I have is that my administration coincided with the PDP-led administration.
“As a matter of fact, PDP superintended the most irresponsible government in Nigeria; it was the most traumatised era in the history of Nigeria.”
Jonathan replied him yesterday: “I see this as the governor’s attempt to rewrite history by disingenuously seeking an accomplice for his dreadful failure in office. This should be prevented from entering public records, as he wished.
“Ordinarily, it is considered a courageous act in governance to admit utter failure, as the governor attempted doing.
“Unfortunately, in this instance, governor Aregbesola’s confession bordered on treachery, since he was neither sincere nor commonsensical.
“Rather than be the hero he sought to be, Aregbosola ended up as an anti-hero whose admittance of failure became mired in cowardice and deception, once he ventured lamely to seek an accomplice or a fall guy in the past PDP administration.
“His attempt to pass the buck failed woefully, as the public has seen it for what it is: a spineless act of dishonesty and contrived rectitude; wearing a mask of false alibi and specious altruism.
“In the first place, Aregbesola’s premise was wrong. Didn’t he realise that as semi-autonomous sub-national entities that control own revenues, states cannot reasonably yoke their fortunes with that of the Federal Government?
“Aregbesola should ask himself why his performance is far below the standards set by his counterparts in such states as Gombe, Ekiti, Ebonyi and Enugu.
“Like Aregbesola’s Osun, they are neither oil-producing nor high-revenue earning states.
“It would have been more honourable, and perhaps, worthy of exculpation, if the governor had been man enough to take absolute responsibility for his monumental failure, without the futile effort to clutch atstraws.
“That Aregbesola failed as a governor is a fact known to not only the good people of Osun state but, indeed, all Nigerians.
“That he is also the architect of his disappointing performance is also incontrovertible.”