Former President Olusegun
Obasanjo, yesterday, recalled how late Afenifere and National Democratic
Coalition, NADECO, Leader, late Senator Abraham Aderibigbe Adesanya, on three
occasions turned down his appeal for support in the 1999 presidential poll.
According to him, Senator
Adesanya was a man of principle, who never bent the rules in his undertakings.
He spoke in Lagos at a
well-attended symposium entitled: ‘Leadership and The Future of Nigeria,’ to
mark 10 years of Senator Abraham’s death.
Obasanjo, who disclosed that he
appointed late Chief Bola Ige and Adesanya’s daughter, Modupe Adelaja, as
ministers in his government without the late politician’s knowledge, said
Adesanya’s opposition accounted for his poor performance in the South-West at
the 1999 election.
He said: “Adesanya deserves his
honour. I did not know him in his early days in politics; I came to know him
when I was going into politics myself.
“Because of necessity, the path
of politicians do cross, I was persuaded to contest for the post of Nigeria’s
president. I decided to go on consultations and meeting leaders all over the
country. One of the leaders I had to meet was Abraham Adesanya. I remember I
got the address of his home, phoned him, and went around 10 pm, but he was
waiting for me and received me very warmly. That was also the first time I met
his daughter, Dupe, who became one of my ministers.
“When I met Pa Adesanya, he did
not mince words. He said, ‘why did you come here, you are not with us? He said:
‘I will not support you.’ I said, ‘no problem but it must be my duty and
responsibility to inform you and to let you know that I have been persuaded and
I am going into this.
“As I went on consultation, I
decided to call on him the second time. And again the same thing happened, he
asked me, ‘what have you come here for again?’ I said, ‘I came to give you
progress report’ and he asked me: ‘how is it going? and I told him it was not
going badly.
“He said again he would not
support me, and I said that was all right. He said, ‘whether you join us or not
we are not going to support you.’
“So I left. That was the second
occasion. He was consistent and to the point and I think I was adamant also.
“The third time, I came and this
was just before the election. And I said to him, ‘before the election, I
thought I should come to you, and again let you know how it is going.’ And for
the third time, Baba said, ‘we are not going to support you.’ And of course as
the result of 1999 presidential election turned out, I was not supported by the
Yoruba in the South-West.”
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