Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that nothing would bring him back to partisan politics.
He stated this yesterday in his Abeokuta, Ogun State residence when he played host to a delegation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by its national chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu.
The team also included the national secretary of the party, Mr. Sam Anyanwu; deputy national chairman, south and former deputy governor of Oyo State, Mr. Taofeek Arapaja; other members of the party’s national working committee (NWC) and the PDP vice presidential candidate in 2019 elections, Mr. Peter Obi.
Others were former governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko; former governor of Jigawa State, Mr. Sule Lamido and two former governors of Cross River State, Mr. Donald Duke and Mr. Liyel Imoke; former minister of police affairs, Mr. Adamu Waziri, former minister of special duties, Mr. Tanimu Turaki.
Speaking after the closed-door meeting with the PDP chieftains, Obasanjo told the delegation that after he shredded the party’s membership card in his ward he had ceased to be a member of the PDP or any other political party.
“I have been with the party right from inception. Whatever I do in my own life, because I became president on the platform of PDP, PDP will continue to be part of the history of my life.
“But having said that, the day that in my ward I decided to tear my PDP card was the day I ceased to be a member of PDP and that day I vowed that I will not be a member of any political party again, but I will remain a statesman in Nigeria, in West Africa, in Africa and indeed in the world,” he said.
He acknowledged that Ayu was carrying a heavy load as chairman of the PDP and prayed for God to help him.
“Your case is like the case of Idi Amin of Uganda. Idi Amin came to me and he said ‘my brother, you have Africa load and it is on your shoulder, I pray God will help you carry Africa load’.
“Iyorchia, you have PDP load with Nigeria load and it is only God that can help you to carry this load, which of course, I believe if God gives you a responsibility, He will also give you the wherewithal to be able to carry that responsibility.
“In my hope, which is also some people’s disappointment is that some of you who knew how things were done 21 years ago are still there but then some people will say here if you knew how it was done 21 years ago why have you not consistently be doing it?
“I think you can answer that; I will not answer for you. But if you ask me, I retired 14 years ago and I remain retired and I will remain retired by the grace of God.
“But if I retired from partisan politics; if politics is the welfare of the people, I must not retire from the welfare and well-being of people whether in my community, in my state, in my own country, anywhere in Africa or indeed anywhere in the world and that is why I have the type of responsibility that I now have in the horn of Africa, which is not an easy responsibility, but it has to be done. But I will say that your responsibility is not an easy one either, but it has to be done.
“But bear in mind and I want to emphasise that I’m no longer in partisan politics and there is nothing that will bring me back to partisan politics. But I will always be interested in what is good for Nigeria and anybody who wants to have my advice, I will give it in the best interest of Nigeria and the best interest of Africa,” he added.
Responding, Ayu commended the former president for what he did when he was Nigeria’s president.
“We thank you for the service you rendered and the great work you have done in the PDP as the first president,” he said.
He said the country prospered under the Obasanjo presidency and became the biggest economy in Africa.
“Your period as president under the platform of PDP was seen as the golden era of the PDP because not only did you grow the economy to be the biggest economy in Africa, you were able to eradicate Nigeria from slavery by negotiating and cancelling so much of our foreign debts that would have made it very difficult to run the country.”
He also recalled how Nigeria, during the Obasanjo presidency attracted huge foreign direct investment and had its debts written off.
“By the time you left office, Nigeria was set free, foreign direct investment (FDI) was on the increase daily; we were respected in the international community, everywhere we went.
“I remember I accompanied you as your minister to some countries – Germany, Indian – I saw the respect they accorded you in India and I was very proud to be a Nigerian,” Ayu said.
He regretted that things had not been the same these days as “we don’t have the same recognition because what we have fallen short of the leadership that Nigeria deserves.
“Apart from the infrastructural intervention, which you did, most of the institutions, some of them are today useful… like EFCC, the ICPC and so on you- put it in place.
“I remember when you took some of us to Germany to the offices of the Transparency International and we had a very useful discussion there. So, you are very passionate about this country and you did a lot and we thought we should come and thank you for what you have done not to just Nigerians but our party and Africa.
“Over these years that you were in power, you saw every Nigerian as one family, you didn’t discriminate against the south, the east, the west or the north.
“Even though in your first tenure, the southwest didn’t actually support you, but you brought them back on board and they supported you in your second tenure,” the PDP chairman stated.
He added: “In Africa today, I think today, in all modesty, after the departure of President Mandela, there is only one person of such stature on the African continent and we are proud that that person is a Nigerian and that Nigerian is no other than President Olusegun Obasanjo and you have continued to display the leadership because it is wrong to address you as Nigerian leader or Yoruba leader or an Owu chief.
“Even though you retired from partisan politics, partisan politics will never retire from your blood because you want the right thing done and since you want the right thing done…you will remain the emeritus member of the PDP. You cannot build a house and leave it to collapse,” Ayu said.
He promised that the PDP would win the presidency in 2023 and restore Nigeria’s lost glory.
Thereafter, the PDP chairman about President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration which he described as “clueless” piling up eternal debts for this and future generations.
He described the administration as wicked, pointing out that only a wicked regime would subject generations unborn to the servitude of slavery.
Ayu slammed Buhari for the low in Nigeria’s international reputation as an insecure country and the poverty capital of the world.
He said such appellations are a reversal of fortunes which, according to him, are the direct opposite of the achievements of Obasanjo administration and the PDP years in power.
