The Presidency yesterday said President Goodluck Jonathan has no intention to order a probe into the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
A statement by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said that there was no truth in media reports that Jonathan was making moves to probe the Obasanjo administration because of the latter's constant criticisms of the Federal Government.
Obasanjo was President for eight years between 1999 to 2007, after which he was succeeded by late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua with Jonathan as the Vice President.
In the statement by Abati, the Presidency said it was "constrained to state once again that there is no truth whatsoever to rehashed reports in the media that President Goodluck Jonathan intends to order a probe of the Obasanjo Administration because of the former President's 'constant' criticisms of the Federal Government"
According to Abati, the President remains fully focused on the urgent tasks of assuring peace, security and stability across the country to create the right conditions for rapid socioeconomic development, saying Jonathan would not be distracted from this objective by futile attempts to drive a wedge between him and other respected elders and leaders of his party.
Abati further said, "The President has nothing but the greatest respect for Chief Obasanjo's very notable contributions to national growth and development over many years and far from taking offence or seeking retaliation, will always welcome objective criticism and advice from the very highly-regarded elder statesman"
"What is more, President Jonathan regards his administration as a continuation of the unbroken chain of PDP-led governments started by Chief Obasanjo in 1999 which have worked tirelessly to entrench democratic governance and achieve rapid socio-economic growth in the country.
"Rather than order a pointless probe of his predecessors, he will continue to do his utmost best to build on the solid foundations for national progress laid under previous PDP administrations"
"Speculations and suggestions of an impending probe of the Obasanjo Administration by President Jonathan are therefore nonsensical and should be dismissed by all rightthinking Nigerians as the product of the fertile imagination of mischievous political jobbers".
National Mirror