A former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, has described as sad the death of a former governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in 2019 election in Ogun State, Senator Buruji Kashamu, The PUNCH reports.
He, however, added that Kashamu allegedly used the instruments of law and politics to evade justice.
In a condolence message titled ‘Letter of condolence,’ addressed to the state governor, Obasanjo said, “I received the sad news of the demise of Senator Esho Jinadu (Buruji Kashamu), a significant citizen of Ogun State. Please accept my condolences and that of my family on this irreparable loss.
“The life and history of the departed have lessons for those of us on this side of the veil. Senator Esho Jinadu (Buruji Kashamu) in his lifetime used the manoeuvre of law and politics to escape from facing justice on alleged criminal offence in Nigeria and outside Nigeria.
“But no legal, political, cultural, social or even medical manoeuver could stop the cold hand of death when the creator of all of us decides that the time is up.
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“May Allah forgive his sins and accept his soul into Aljanah, and may God grant his family and friends fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.”
Obasanjo had in 2014 resigned his membership of the party when he wrote to the then Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, that he would cease to be a member of the party unless the party dissociated itself from Kashamu, who appeared to be the leader of the party in Ogun State.
In the letter dated January 7, he said, “Buruji Kashamu has been so extolled in PDP in South-West geo-political zone which I personally find unsavoury. Politics played by any national political party must have morality, decency, discipline, principles and leadership examples as cardinal practices of the party.
“While I continue to remain a card-carrying member of PDP, I cannot and I will not subscribe to a wanted habitual criminal being installed as my zonal leader in the party; a criminal for whom extradition has been requested by the US government. In the meantime, I will consider withdrawing my activity with PDP at local, state, zonal and national levels until the anomalous and shameful situation is corrected.”
Obasanjo later tore his party card openly and left the party.
