Ex President Olusegun Obasanjo
has denied reports that he deliberately arrived late at the birthday
celebration of former President Shehu Shagari, after the departure of President
Goodluck Jonathan and other past leaders.
President Shagari’s 90th birthday
was marked on Wednesday with President Jonathan and all former Nigerian
leaders, except Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, who was in the United Kingdom
in attendance.
Obasanjo arrived only after
Jonathan and the former leaders had left after the cutting of the birthday
cake.
But the former president denied
snubbing the president and other past leaders, saying he had no cause to
backtrack on what they all agreed to do together in Shagari’s honour.
Obasanjo said it was “unfortunate”
he arrived former President Shagari’s home late, and blamed a traffic gridlock
in Lagos for the delay.
“I have read, with dismay, the
imputation of some section of the media to the unfortunate incident of my not
being able to be with my colleagues at the birthday celebration of President
Shehu Shagari,” Obasanjo said in a statement on Friday.
“Leaving Abeokuta at 6:45 a.m.
and hoping to fly out of Lagos airport at 8:30 a.m. to Sokoto, we ran into a
very bad traffic hold-up that made me get to Lagos airport at 10:45 a.m.
“I did not arrive at Shagari’s
house until about mid-day by which time the team of my colleagues had left. It
is a pity that the media did not report my profuse apologies to both Shagari
and other colleagues when I spoke at Shagari’s house,” he added.
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