•••Nothing Will Bring Me Back To Partisan Politics
••• Party Chairman Lauds Obasanjo's Performance In Office, Says It Was The Golden Era Of PDP
| The Daily Crucible | Saturday, January 22, 2022
By Ayobami Ife, Abeokuta
President Olusegun Obasanjo on Saturday reiterated his resolve not to return to partisan politics, having left it about seven years ago.
Obasanjo recalled that he ceased being membership of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) when he tore his membership card, declaring that nothing would bring him back to partisan politics.
According to the elder statesman, he will always be interested in what is good for Nigeria and anybody who seeks his and will advice in the best interest of Nigeria and in the best interest of Africa.
The former Chairman, PDP Board of Trustees, spoke while addressing the party's National Working Committee (NWC) members and other leaders of the party shortly after a closed door meeting with them in his Penthouse within the sprawling Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Obasanjo who presided over Nigeria for eight years on the platform of the PDP, however, said Iyorchia Ayu carries enormous responsibilities on his shoulder as National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), declaring however that "only God can help" him "carry PDP load" as the party prepares for the 2023 general elections.
The PDP leaders in attendance were the National chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, former governor of Ondo State, Dr. Segun Mimiko, former governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, his successor; Liyel Imoke, running mate of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the 2019 Presidential election, Dr. Peter Obi, former governor of Jigawa State; Sule Lamido, former Minister of Police Affairs, Adamu Waziri, former deputy governor of Kogi State, Yomi Awoniyi and former governor of Oyo State and deputy chairman, South, Amb. Taofeek Arapaja.
Others were former federal lawmaker, Hon. Ladi Adebutu, Barr. Saminu Turaki
Ogun State PDP Chair, Alh. Sikirulai Ogundele, former State Secretary of the party, Semiu Sodipo, Deputy Chairman, North, Amb. Umar Damagun, National Secretary, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, National Youth leader; Prince Muhammud Kadade Suleiman and National Women leader, Prof. Stella Effa Allo.
The delegation led by Ayu was in Abeokuta to seek advice and wisdom from the former President as the nation moves closer to another general elections.
Obasanjo said : "I have been with the party right from inception. Whatever I do in my own life, because I became president on the platform PDP, PDP will continue to be part of the history of my life, but having said that, the day that my ward 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.
"So, I thank you very much for coming and you are living up to your word because immediately after you were given this appointment, this job, you called me, infact you sent a message and I called you and you said you will see me and I said I will see you any time and any day. I'm happy that you are here and as I jokingly said, when you said you will see me, I thought I will be probably one or two, but I really didn't realised that your visit will be turned to an invasion.
"Chairman, let me say this, I want to specially pray that the responsibility that is put on your shoulder you will be able to carry it, God will help you carry it.
Your case is like the case of Idi Amin. 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 and 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 welfare of the people, I must not retire from the welfare and well being of people whether in my own community, in my own 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 own responsibility is not an easy one either, but it has to be done.
"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 distinctingly give it in the best interest of Nigeria and in the best interest of Africa."
In his remarks, Dr. Iyorcha commended Obasanjo for warmly receiving them, recalling the golden era of PDP was when he served the country as President for eight years.
The PDP National chairman said:"So, I am happy to say I am here with almost all members of the working committee of the People's Democratic Party with very senior party members across the country . Most of them have passed through you in one way or the other, so, when we were coming, joking or seriously I was recognised as your first son because in this journey I was the first to start the journey with you. Sule Lamido was the second son, Adamu Waziri was the third son, Segun Mimiko, the prodigal son and Liyel Imoke, Donald Duke are the sons and Peter Obi as the last born.
"It is though that as soon as I emerged as the chairman of the party, it was inevitable that I have to come here. Sir, we thank you for the service you rendered and the great work you have done in the PDP as the first president your period as president under the platform of PDP is 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.
"By the time you left office, Nigeria was totally set free, direct foreign investment was on the increase on a daily basis, we were respected in international community, every where we went.
I remember I accompanied you as your minister to a number of countries, Germany and India I saw the respect they accorded you in India and I was very proud to be a Nigerian .
"Today, unfortunately, we don't have the same recognition because what we have falls short of leadership that Nigeria deserves. Apart from Infrastructural intervention which you did, most of the institutions, some of them being used today to hunt people like EFCC, the ICPC and so on and so forth you actually put them in place. I remember when you took some of us to Germany to the offices to the Transparent 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 to our party and Africa.
"Over these years that you are 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 South West did n't actually support you , but, you brought them back on board and they supported you in your second tenure and that is the spirit of democracy.
"It is our prayer that you will continue to try and support us. 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 Nigerian leader or Yoruba leader or an Owur king.
"I remember years ago you told me that you will do everything to make Nigeria one because you feel diminishrd if they say you come from Oduduwa Republic instead of Nigeria that talk stuck to my head that all of us have a responsibility to keep this country united and take it to be the biggest country in Africa and the world. Today you are on African stage ..your work in Ethiopia is worthy of commendation.
"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, for life you will remain the emeritus member of the PDP. You cannot build a house and leave it to collapse. You throw a challenge to me that if I have been there from the beginning why have I not done anything, may be I was doing something but it was not good enough, we will continue to contribute our own quota, we will continue to come to you, so, I want to plead with you, please don't be tired of us as we come knocking asking for your advice, asking for wisdom because the word of elders is the word of wisdom and there is no leader here in this country than president Olusegun Obasanjo. We appreciate you and we will do everything to rebuild this country.
"We found the PDP to fight dictatorship Sule Lamido is here he fought for it ,Abubakar Rimi is late , these are the two people that went to prison to fight this battle.
"We want to assure you that the new leadership of the PDP with the rest of PDP family will do everything possible ward to ward, local government by local government across the country to restore lost glory of Nigeria which your era was a shinning example because anytime we talked about the history of the PDP there is no way we talk about the PDP without mentioning between 1999 and 2007, we thank you very much for your contribution to be a statement which is the correct thing you are doing."
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