Former Nigeria president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, shunned the Council of State meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday at the Aso Villa in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
Obasanjo who backed Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, at the 2023 general election has been critical of the Nigerian government and has warned that the people could revolt.
However, the immediate past president, Muhammadu Buhari and his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan attended the meeting while Yakubu Gowon and Abdulsalami Abubakar joined virtually.
The Council members condemned the recent #EndBadGovernance protests, which Dele Alake, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, described as having a sinister motive with the sponsors allegedly targeting a change in government.
After the meeting, Tinubu received a vote of confidence from members of the Council of State, comprising former presidents, past Heads of State, and former Chief Justices of the Federation.
Tinubu had summoned the former presidents as Nigerians protested hunger and economic hardship since Tinubu was sworn in as president in 2023.
Council of State passes vote of confidence on President Bola Tinubu at first meeting
The Council of State was first introduced by General Murtala Muhammed on 30 July 1975 in a broadcast to the nation after deposing General Yakubu Gowon, “The structure of government has been re-organised. There will now be three organs of Government, at the Federal level namely: The Supreme Military Council, The National Council of State, and the Federal Executive Council.”
