A former governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba has said that foundation of the bad leadership Nigeria is experiencing today was laid by ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo.

He said that the alleged manipulation by the former President “was the beginning of the downward trend of leadership in this country.”

The politician said the crop of state governors elected in 1999 through the open ballot system were still the best, noting that they never had any cause to be investigated for corruption.

Osoba said this in Lagos at the 70th Birthday Colloquium of one of the co-founders of Newswatch Magazine, Ray Ekpu, a contemporary of the late Dele Giwa.

The colloquium had the theme, “Nigeria: The leadership question,” and was held at Muson Centre, Lagos Island.

The chairman of the occasion was a former Minister of External Affairs, Prof Bolaji Akinyemi.

Other dignitaries were a former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah; the founder of Vanguard Newspaper, Sam Amuka-Pemu; Prof Pat Utomi; a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and presidential hopeful, Kingsley Moghalu; and the Chairman, Editorial Board, The Nation Newspaper, Sam Omatseye.

Osoba said he believed that the proposed electronic voting in the amendment to the Electoral Act would eliminate election rigging in the country.

He accused the educated of sleeping in their houses on election day and left the exercise to thugs, “who sell their votes for N5,000.”