Former President Olusegun Obasanjo said he was not in the dark about the health status of late President Musa Yar’Adua when he ensured he succeeded him.
Obasanjo annointed Yar’Adua as his successor despite rumour of his ill-health.
Afterwards, the former Katsina governor died three years into his administration, following which his predecessor was accused in some quarters of wilfully denying the Northerners of their turn to have one of them at the country’s helms of affairs.
Now, Obasanjo is pushing back at the accusation.
This he did in an interview with TheCable where he said he knew Yar’Adua was living on transplanted kidney but ran his medical history by a medical expert before he decided on him.
His word, “I set up a committee headed by Dr Olusegun Agagu, of blessed memory, to search for a successor. They considered many names and did an extensive assessment of all them. They made their recommendation. Umaru was top on the list.
“Their biggest argument in his favour was that he had integrity and would not steal. The issues concerning his health were raised and I gave his medical reports to an expert for an opinion. Umaru’s name was redacted so that the expert would not know who it was and why I was seeking his opinion.
“After assessing the reports, he said the patient appeared to have done a kidney transplant and if that was the case, there was nothing to worry about and he would be as healthy as any other person. That was it. All insinuations that I knew he was going to die and that was why I supported him to be president were false. This is the true story I have told you.”
