Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo returned from a trip to South Africa on Sunday and told President Goodluck Jonathan, Senate President, David Mark, and the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) to do the “needful” and stop inundating him with appeals for forgiveness.
Obasanjo in a statement at his Hill top mansion on Presidential Hill Top Estate, Abeokuta, said he has neither left the PDP on whose platform he governed the country for eight nor has anybody offended him by virtue of his membership of the party.
The former Chairman, Board of Trustees of PDP, who was South Africa over the South Sudan’s increasing insecurity and violence, said he almost cut short his stay there following “the avalanche of news, cacophony of appeals and pleadings from some quarters of PDP,” at home.
He said appeals are evidential manifestation of “misunderstandings and misrepresentations” of facts.
Obasanjo who also stated he had had occasion to make his stand on vital matters affecting party known to Jonathan, Mark and the Party Chairman, that issues of principle, morality, honour , integrity, commitment and character which to him are paramount, said he could not “accept that the Zonal leader of my political Party and, worse still in my zone, will be an indicted drug baron wanted in America.”
Obasanjo said: “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.
” There are misunderstandings and misrepresentations which some of those appeals and pleas manifested; hence this explanation from me. 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.
” 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.
“Secondly, 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. There are, for me, issues of principle, morality, honour , integrity, commitment and character which are paramount.
“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? This is only one of the many issues that I have pointed and still pointing out.
“I have national and international standard to maintain and reputation to keep and sustain. For these reasons, I opted to remain active only at the ward level of the Party till the leadership does the needful.
“But under no condition will my commitment to Nigeria be diminished. And, 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.
“I must hasten to thank the President, the Senate President and the Chairman of PDP with whom, at their instances, these issues have been discussed and laid to rest. My interest and commitment to Nigeria go beyond partisan politics.
“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.
“Rather, I beg and appeal to those who are begging me 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,” Obasanjo stated.
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Baba at his very best!
ReplyDeleteOBJ, am surprised at your statement and sudden change. Maybe because you are no longer in power. When you were in power were you not the one that encouraged all manner of criminality within the PDP to instill fear in the opposition. I once remembered when the "so call man of Ibadan politics",(the late criminal Adedebu) " was holding sway, , the Tokyos of this world, you openly encouraged and congratulated them on numerous occasions. You should just bury your head in shame because you laid the foundations for the rot the nigerian society is striving now. Just pray the almighty to forgive you before you die and go to perpetual hell. Stupid old fool.
ReplyDeleteWhat a disgrace,,,
DeleteIf president Jonathan has gone to beg obasanjor that means Nigerian has no leader,,
Am sorry to say this,,,
To me I don't see who or what a single head can do for a country of millions of people,,, why begging obasanjor
Why?
Oooh Jonathan please don't disappoint Nigerians please...
Its either folks like OBJ are genuinely delusional, or they're very, and extremely sure of the naiveté of the Nigerian society as a body.
ReplyDeleteOBJ still has the effrontery to show himself or speak in public about the future of Nigeria, cmon. We have records of his 8 years..
I tire o,look at how reasonable he sounded. I would have been fooled too,but his.past political records some of which I know saved me. Especially the Adedibu saga. He actually laid the foundation of many many bad things befalling Nigeria today,even Boko haram. He's on point this time around in all he said anyway,but that doesn't make him a saint.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous 5:18am, cant u see that the man has repented...
ReplyDeleteOBJ has nothing to offer, forget him, was he not the who brought Kashamu to PDP? Because Kashamu refused to work against GEJ as directed by OBJ, he is now calling him drug baron. Did Kashamu just carry the drugs after OBJ left the presidency? Hypocrisy and blackmail at its peak. God will help Nigerians from these selfish old leaders who are holding the country to ransom. It may not be at instance of GEJ that the visit was made, Kashamu could have asked PDP Leadership to reconcile him with OBJ and now he is using the opportunity to play god. May God forgive OBJ and likes for injuries the have inflicted this country for their quest to control GEJ and the country which is not working out for them and God will not permit. God will help GEJ and continue to move the country forward. GEJ nor PDP is not begging him to support them rather to reconcile with his kinsman Kashamu, whom OBJ forced into PDP. Because he Kashamu was(is) Iyabo OBJ's daughter Man(Boy) friend, whether OBJ thinks we have forgotten Iyabo's and Kashamu's reports on him so quickly. So Kashamu has suddenly become devil because he refused to dance OBJ's music. This is another case of Sheriff and APC (Sherif was a saint while in APC, but as soon as he left to PDP he became Bokoharam sponsor that needs to be prosecuted . Bunch of hypocrites destroying the country.
ReplyDeleteDon't mind them. OBJ is actually one of Nigeria's big problems.
DeleteWe should learn to respect others in any way. Allah SWT accept us back to Himself when we ask for forgiveness of our sins. Yesterday has gone and we should plan for our tomorrow today.
ReplyDeleteHe (Obj) is a political faggot.
ReplyDeleteGood talk, I wish the old big fool, OBJ or his close associates will read all these comments about him then he will no how the afraid nigerian hates him. He should just keep quite and enjoy the loot he stool from the national treasury while he was president. Big, old, good for nothing fool.
ReplyDeleteTrue talk
ReplyDeleteTrue talk from experienced Baba
ReplyDeleteObasanjo's commitment to the country has been in doubt. Sadly the same cannot be said about the present administration. By every action that GEJ takes, he makes it clear even o the very dumb person that he favors people from his side of the country rather than the whole nation. If Obasanjo will be criticized for any wrong doing then such must not come from this administration.
ReplyDeleteOBJ, ANOTHER MARADONNA
ReplyDelete