As Oyinlola ditches APC, resigns as NIMC board chairman
The former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has blamed the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government for making most Nigerians today poorer than when it (APC) came to power.
Speaking at a press conference at his Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, Ogun State on Thursday, where he announced that his pressure group, Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM) had been subsumed under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2019 general election, Obasanjo said the country had been further impoverished with foreign loan jumping from $3.6 billion to over $18 billion.
He accused the ruling APC of taking Nigerians for fools while “revelling in an unrepentant misgoverning of Nigeria.”
“The APC, as a political party, is still gloating and revelling in its unrepentant misgovernance of Nigeria and taking Nigerians for fools.
“There is neither remorse nor appreciation of what they are doing wrong. It is all arrant arrogance and insult upon injury for Nigerians.
“Whatever the leadership may personally claim, most Nigerians know that they are poorer today than when the APC came in and Nigeria is more impoverished with our foreign loan jumping from $3.6bn to over $18bn to be paid by the present and future generations of Nigerians.
“The country is more divided than ever before because the leadership is playing the ethnic and religious game which is very unfortunate.
“And the country is more insecure and unsafe for everybody. It is a political party with two classes of membership.”
On the fusion of CNM into ADC ahead of 2019 Obasanjo who delivered speech titled ‘My treatise for future of democracy and development in Nigeria’, explained that the decision was in a bid for the group to realise its dream of a new Nigeria.
“Let me start by welcoming and commending the emergence of a renewed and reinvigorated African Democratic Congress, ADC, as a political party.
“Since the inception of Coalition for Nigeria Movement, CNM, many of the sixty-eight registered political parties had contacted and consulted with the Movement on coming together and working together.
“The leadership of the Movement, after detailed examination, wide consultation and bearing in mind the orientation, policies and direction of the Movement, have agreed to adopt ADC as its platform to work with others for bringing about desirable change in the Nigeria polity and governance,” said Obasanjo while announcing the transition.
Also speaking in Abuja, co-convener of the movement and former governor of Osun State, Price Olagunsoye Oyinlola said the decision to move in to ADP is “an appreciation of the progressive essence of the party and its untainted existence on the terrain of our nation’s politics.”
He said Nigerians should expect more from the movement, describing the fusion as “the first in a multi-layered action plan to give back the country to its much deprived people.”
“Between that time and today (yesterday), a lot of grounds have been covered in achieving the set goals. One of such is what we are doing here today; the formal fusing of our movement into the African Democratic Congress.
“As we stated in January during the launch of the CNM, we are taking on this task not minding the inconveniences and other expected and unexpected consequences of our efforts at reinventing the country.
“While I on behalf of the leadership and the over three million members of the CNM congratulate ADC as the vehicle for national reinvention, I urge us to let us know that the task ahead is an arduous one that needs further strengthening of the forces of change,” he said.
Oyinlola added that ADC is “well placed” to make democracy work for Nigerians and that it is “properly placed to join other patriots in moving Nigerians to join hands to make our country truly great.”
“As the CNM takes this momentous step of coalescing into ADC as a vital step in building a national consensus to reconstruct the country, we assure all Nigerians with their support and the understanding of like-minded persons and organisations across the country, Nigeria will be rescued,” he said.
Meanwhile, Oyinlola has defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and resigned as chairman of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
He revealed his decision in a letter dated May 9, 2018, and addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari.
The letter reads in part: “Your Excellency, I must put on record my very deep sense of appreciation for the special privilege and consideration you gave me to serve our fatherland in that capacity. As I stated in my appreciation letter to you shortly after the appointment, the offer was a clear call to service. I gave the job the dedication it deserved and would have loved to continue but I regret to inform Your Excellency that I have a new, greater political engagement that will make that difficult and even impolitic.
“I am moving on to chart a new course in my politics outside the ruling party and this thus, demands my dropping the NIMC chairmanship.
“I thank you, sir, once again for the great honour and confidence reposed in me. However, there is time to take a job and another time to leave it and move on. For me, the time to work on something else in the interest and service of our people is now.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTS FROM PUNCH, PREMIUM TIMES, CHANNELS TV
