Former President Olusegun Obasanjo was allegedly rejected by the Yoruba people in 1999, according to Festus Keyamo, Minister of State for Labour and Employment.
Keyamo explained that the South-West rejected Obasanjo because he betrayed the June 12 struggle.
Keyamo claimed in a series of tweets that Obasanjo was not the Yorubas’ preferred candidate in 1999.
He emphasised that some Yorubas believe they weren’t fairly treated when Obasanjo became president in 1999.
According to Keyamo: “Some feel the Yorubas weren’t compensated by the election of OBJ in 1999; he wasn’t the choice of the Yorubas because he betrayed the cause of June 12, hence they rejected him at the polls in 1999.
“I can speak on these because, apart from defending NADECO leaders in court with my late boss Gani Fawehinmi, on Oct. 1, 1994 we launched the National Conscience movement to fight for June 12 & on June 11, 1995, I along with other comrades were arrested by the DSS and detained.”
It had been reported how Keyamo had tackled most candidates contesting for the 2023 presidency.
Keyamo said most presidential candidates don’t deserve the opportunity because they did nothing during the June 12 struggle.
He pointed out that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar was among the first Nigerians to abandon the struggle.
The minister stressed that only the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu played a major role in the June 12 struggle.
However, Atiku accused Keyamo of lying and attempting to distort history.