Zanu PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa has blasted former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo over his recent remarks blaming Zimbabwe for the spate of military coups across Africa.
Recently, Obasanjo told the Pan-African Parliament in South Africa that complicated ‘coup not so coups’ had started in Zimbabwe.
“There should be no half measures about these; it started in Zimbabwe where they said ‘it’s not a coup and it’s a half coup, it’s near a coup. A coup is a coup! Citizens of Africa have been able to shun leaders who amend the constitution, intending to personally gain from such amendments,” Obasanjo was quoted as saying
In an article published in the State media, Mutsvangwa hit back at Obasanjo saying the 2017 events were carried out by the people of Zimbabwe in support of the army.
“At 84, (former Nigerian president Olusegun) Obasanjo is in “sour grapes” mode after his clandestine attempt to play kingmaker in Zimbabwe in 2017 failed dismally. His attempts to install (name withheld) as leader of Zimbabwe in 2017 came to nought after all the people of Zimbabwe turned en masse to the streets in a show of massive support for their Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF), the Revolutionary army.
“It is a starkly historical fact that the events between the army and then President Robert Mugabe played out while President Mnangagwa was already out of Zimbabwe in forced exile through Mozambique to South Africa. The ZDF is a professional army that owes its roots to the revolutionary armed national liberation movement ZANU-ZAPU of the United Patriotic Front,” Mutsvangwa said.
He blasted the former Nigerian leader saying his political fame came as a result of military coup in 1978 and that does not change.
“None other than Obasanjo owes his political prominence to a military coup he executed in 1976. To take a cue from current obnoxious remarks on Zimbabwe that aim to besmirch, a one-time coup leader remains a coup leader for all his long life no matter the political “dry cleaning” the coup leader may assiduously pre-occupy himself with in subsequent years. Yes, Olusegun Obasanjo may have done some good work on the Ethiopia-Tigray ceasefire, but it is churlish of him to ride on this and spin an anti-Zimbabwe yarn in his self-centered triumphalist chest-pumping.
“Lastly, Olusegun Obasanjo is the epicentre of the long forgotten “Elders Group” that is a cover for neo-liberal post-colonial political projects in Africa. From this pedestal, he unilaterally appoints himself a “Power Buccaneer of Africa” in the mould of arch-imperialist Cecil John Rhodes of the infamous Pioneer Column and his dream of a Cape to Cairo imperial enterprise.
“Zimbabweans just wish that a miffed Obasanjo, after his failure to install his puppet as the successor ruler to Robert Mugabe, would keep his snide remarks about our beautiful, peaceful and purposeful country to his bosom and keep his blabbermouth firmly shut on Zimbabwe. After all, President Mnangagwa won elections in 2018. President Mnangagwa is on course to win a landslide election come 2023.” Mutsvangwa said.
