A former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has told
leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, that although he
remains a party member, his commitment to Nigeria’s unity and
success supersedes that of the party.
Mr. Obasanjo stated this on Sunday in a statement made
available to journalists in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
“My interest and commitment to Nigeria go beyond partisan
politics,” he said. “’Under no condition will my commitment to
Nigeria be diminished.”
“For me, it is commitment to Nigeria first and any other
commitment can only follow in second or third place. Where
any other commitment is in tandem with what I see and
understand as commitment to Nigeria, such other commitment
will share a pride of place with Nigeria.”
The former PDP Board of Trustees chairman said Nigeria was at
a crossroads and needed everyone to join hands to salvage it.
“Today, Nigeria needs all hands on deck to deal with our
pressing problems of security including the issue of Chibok
girls, widening inequality, infrastructure, impunity, corruption,
poverty and youth education, skill-acquisition, empowerment
and employment.
“These are issues of concern to most Nigerians. We all need to
join hands to move Nigeria forward. I don’t need to be begged
for that,” he said in a reaction to repeated pleas by PDP leaders
for him to return to the party.
Mr. Obasanjo, who explained that he had no grudge with
anyone within the party, narrated how the pleas for him to
return fully to the party had been sustained.
“During last week when I was in South Africa as the Chairman
of AU Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan and while with
my fellow Commissioners, we were deliberating on how to help
that new country out of its problem of security and violence, I
received avalanche of news and cacophony of appeals and
pleadings from some quarters of PDP leadership,” he said.
The former Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees said it was
wrong for anyone to ask him to return to the PDP as he had
never left the party.
“Talking of inviting me back to PDP is wrong and it is a great
misrepresentation as I have never left PDP and I will never
leave PDP,” he said. “I have said it before and I will say it again,
I rose to become the President of Nigeria on the platform of PDP
and for that reason alone, I will remain a card-carrying and
ward-active member of PDP for as long as I have to be a
political party member.”
He added that “nobody has personally offended me as a result
of my membership of PDP. If, however, anybody or group feels
offended by my continued membership, I will offer an
unreserved apology but continue to remain in the Party.
“I have had occasions to say to the President, the Senate
President and the Party Chairman separately that I have no
quarrel with any individual or group in the Party.”
The former Nigerian leader restated one of his reasons for
refusing to play an active role in the PDP, saying it was an issue
of principle and morality.
“For instance, as a former President of Nigeria, the Chairman of
West Africa Commission on Drug and a member of Global
Commission on Drug, I cannot accept that the Zonal leader of
my political Party and, worse still in my zone, will be an
indicted drug baron wanted in America. How do I explain that to
friends outside Nigeria?” he said in reference to Buruji
Kashamu, a PDP South West leader and ally of President
Goodluck Jonathan.
“This is only one of the many issues that I have pointed and still
pointing out,” he said.
Mr. Obasanjo said he would, however, remain active at the PDP
ward level. He explained that he had raised his concerns with
leaders of the party such as President Jonathan, Senate President
David Mark, and PDP National Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu.
Although Mr. Obasanjo did not specifically mention Mr.
Jonathan’s presidential ambition for 2015 in his statement, the
former leader had in the past queried Mr. Jonathan’s decision to
contest. In a letter published earlier by PREMIUM TIMES, the
former leader had said by deciding to seek re-election, Mr.
Jonathan was going against all the agreements they had in 2011
when Mr. Obasanjo was the president’s chief campaigner across
the country.
The former president believes that by their agreements in 2011,
the PDP presidential ticket for 2015 should go to a northerner.
He has since been courted by the opposition All Progressives
Congress, APC, and some of his loyalists in the PDP already
joined the APC.
In what appears a restatement of where his support would lie in
the 2015 presidential election, Mr. Obasanjo advised those
begging him to rejoin the PDP fully to “realize that we must put
Nigeria’s interest above politics – party or personal – otherwise,
we will all be judged at the bar of history if not the bar of
current affairs. In addition, we must preserve, sustain and
deepen democracy and democratic practices.”

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/169379-my-commitment-to-nigeria-supersedes-pdp-obasanjo-declares.html

After leaving office, Baba is still found useful outside the shores of the country and so is he respected. I wonder what would become of "someone" after he leaves office. I doubt he would even be found useful in the community he hails from.

Hmm, does this mean APC is taking it? But surely Baba is influential. He precedes all. If you want something, approach baba, good or bad.

“Today, Nigeria needs all hands on deck to deal with our
pressing problems of security including the issue of Chibok
girls, widening inequality, infrastructure, impunity, corruption,
poverty and youth education, skill-acquisition, empowerment
and employment.
“These are issues of concern to most Nigerians. We all need to
join hands to move Nigeria forward. I don’t need to be begged
for that,”.

Oh my God

daveP:
Hmm, does this mean APC is taking it? But surely Baba is influential. He precedes all. If you want something, approach baba, good or bad.

He discharges d 2

Dayjhihannon01:


He discharges d 2

im telling you...

.

focus7:
.

and na buoda dem dey call u o..

This is a former president opinion on his country and his beloved party. Baba has spoken well, This thread deserve front page. If i may ask, what are they begging baba for, in the first place?

abu12:
This is a former president opinion on his country and his beloved party. Baba has spoken well, This thread deserve front page. If i may ask, what are they begging baba for, in the first place?

I tell ya..

“For instance, as a former President of Nigeria, the
Chairman of West Africa Commission on Drug and a member of Global Commission on Drug, I cannot accept that the Zonal leader of my political Party and, worse still in my zone, will be an indicted drug baron wanted in America. How do I explain that to friends outside Nigeria?” he said in reference to Buruji Kashamu, a PDP South West leader and ally of President Goodluck Jonathan.
“This is only one of the many issues that I have pointed
and still pointing out,” he said.



Nothing will stop this man from saying the truth.... I hope Jonathan and his PDP will come back to their senses BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!!!

joker Thief