By Soni, Northern Region Editor
TEN years after, the anger arising from the
impeachment and subsequent imprisonment of
former Bayelsa State Governor, Diepreye Solomon
Peter Alamie-yeseigha by former President Olusegun
Obasanjo's administration is still reverberating even
though Alamieyeseigha claims he has forgiven
Obasanjo.
Alamieyeseigha, who spoke to Saturday Vanguard in
his country home in Yenagoa, said that he had
forgiven all those who plotted and sent him to jail
purely for political reasons even though the
experience remains very painful to him.
The former governor was impeached and removed
from office in December 2005 and was subsequently
sent to jail for alleged mismanagement of Bayelsa
State funds.
Some of his property alleged to have been secured
with stolen funds in and outside Nigeria were
confiscated and given to Bayelsa State by the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
working in conjunction with foreign security
agencies.
But Alamieyeseigha, who was granted state pardon
by his former deputy governor and immediate past
President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, last year, said that
Obasanjo has not known peace because of the role
he played in events leading to his impeachment,
arrest and subsequent imprisonment.
He recalled that Obasanjo nearly fainted the first
time he met him after his release from prison. He
said the former president, who met him accidentally
at the Katsina Airport became jittery on seeing him
and managed to shake hands with
him. Alamieyeseigha said: "I have forgiven all those
who plotted against me, including former President
Obasanjo. I know all those who plotted against me
and sent me to jail. I cannot be living in the past as it
does not help me in any way.
"What I passed through is painful all right but it
would not have happened if it was not permitted by
God. It is even more important to me that I am still
alive today because I passed through many shadows
of the valleys of death and still came out of them. ''I
have met Obasanjo at very close quarters twice since
I came out of prison.
I did not know that he was at the VIP Lounge at the
Katsina Airport to attend the marriage of the late
President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's daughter.
Obasanjo came face to face with me at the airport
when I went to use one of the rest rooms. It
happened that as I opened the door to ease myself, I
saw Obasanjo sitting face to face with me and he
almost passed out.
"But I held his hands. He was scared and he felt
uneasy all through. Then he began to ask 'DSP, DSP,
DSP! What have I done to deserve shaking your
hands?' There were many people there, one of them
was Kenny Martins, the then chairman of the Police
Equipment Fund.
"I told Obasanjo 'I was only shaking you for two
reasons: one-because of the fear of the Almighty
God, who created us and two, for the fact that I am
the Ganuma Katsina and you are a visitor to my
emirate and tradition demands that I should
welcome visitors'. "That prompted Kenny to get up
also and greet me, saying 'great leader, great leader'
and he came and hugged me.''
The former governor said his second post-prison
encounter with Obasanjo took place aboard a Dubai-
bound flight where the former president met him
seated in the business class and addressed him as
'Fayose' out of fear . His words: "The second
encounter with Obasanjo was when we met on a
flight going to Dubai. When Obasanjo came, I was
already seated in the Business Class and he had no
choice but to greet me.
But because of possible fear of seeing me, Obasanjo
called out 'Fayose, Fayose, Fayose.' I protested to him
that I am not Fayose and I said: 'Former President
Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Aremu Obasanjo, you
are a devil incarnate.' "I warned him not to talk again
or he would face my anger. And I tell you, throughout
the flight he could not say anything to me.
The only thing Obasanjo managed to say was to ask
me whether I was the only one who had ever been
sent to the prison. 'DSP, is it only you that entered
prison? Don't you remember that I was also
imprisoned? You entered prison and I also did.'' In
spite of his criticism of the former president,
Alamieyeseigha, still has some kind words for
Obasanjo.
Describing Obasanjo as a leader, who keeps his word
and works hard, the former governor said he has a
dossier on Obasanjo and would reveal it in his
forthcoming memoirs to enable Nigerians know what
the man had been doing since 1966.
"But one thing I know about Obasanjo is that he is a
leader. If Obasanjo gives you his word, it remains his
bond. You can call him any time of the night, and he
will pick his phone directly.
He is ready to sit with you on how to solve a problem
but he would not allow you to talk. That is the type of
character he is. I have a dossier on Obasanjo and I
will expose him and Nigerians will read it in my
memoir," Alamieyeseigha said
AbleMoJah® Nigeria.
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