Says: God’ll help them with Nigeria’s burden
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday reminded leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) that he is done with partisan politics and that is only God that can help them carry the burden of Nigeria.
Addressing leaders of the party, who paid him a visit at his Obasanjo Library residence, led by the National Chairman of the party, Senator Iyochia Ayu, Obasanjo posited that God who gave them the task of bearing the burden of the country would also show them how to carry the burden. The former President also said that he has quit partisan politics for good and nothing will drag him back to it again.
That was as Ayu and the PDP accused the All Progressive Congress(APC) government of President Muhammadu Buhari of mortgaging the future of Nigeria and its citizens.
Ayu described the actions of the government as wicked, while saying that all the past achievement of the PDP had been wiped off by the present government.
Obasanjo had told his guests that he had left party politics for good, but he would continue to contribute his quota to the development of Nigeria as an elder statesman.
Obasanjo said: “Iyorchia, you have PDP load with Nigeria load and it is only God that can help you to carry this load. I believe if God gives you a responsibility, he will also give you the wherewithal to be able to carry that responsibility.”
The team arrived the Pent House residence of Obasanjo, located within his Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, at about 12:25pm and went into a closed-door meeting with the former President, which lasted for over two hours.
In the team were: the PDP Vice Presidential candidate in 2019 election, Peter Obi; former Governors Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo), Liyel Imoke (Cross River) and Donald Duke (Cross River).
The Deputy National Chairman of PDP (South), Taofeek Arapaja and other party officials were part of the entourage.
Addressing journalists shortly after the meeting, the former President said, he said he retired 14 years ago but remained committed to the welfare and wellbeing of the people.
The former President had quit partisan politics many years ago when some leaders of PDP, led by Surajudeen Oladunjoye, the chairman of the ward around his former residence in Ita Eko, visited him at his Presidential Hilltop mansion.
Obasanjo admitted that the PDP played an important role in his life but he has since ceased to be a member of the party, the day he directed his ward chairman to tear his membership card.
The former President said: “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 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.
“I retired 14 years ago and I remain retired and I will remain retired by the grace of God.
“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 in the best interest of Africa.
“But if I retired from partisan politics, if politics is welfare of the people, I must not retire from the welfare and wellbeing 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 (Ayu) own responsibility is not an easy one either, but it has to be done.”
Obasanjo told Ayu that the responsibility of PDP and that of Nigeria rest on his shoulders and he would continue to make himself available counsel.
Ayu also accused Buhari for the low reputation of the country which he said were direct opposites of the achievements of the PDP governments.
Ayu said: “As the first president in this Republic, your period as president on the platform of PDP is seen as the golden era of the PDP and Nigeria because not only did you lay the foundation to grow the economy to become the biggest economy in Africa, you were able to remove 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 and we were respected in international community and everywhere we went.
“Today, this clueless APC and President Muhammadu Buhari have undone that and has plunged Nigeria into eternal debt. The new debt overhang created by this wicked government is going to create massive problems for the coming generations.
“I remember when I accompanied you as your minister to a number of countries – Germany and India – I saw the respect they accorded you and I was very proud to be a Nigerian .
“Today, unfortunately, we don’t have the same recognition because what we have become has fallen short of good leadership that Nigeria deserves.
“This is on account of worsening insecurity and Buhari’s creation of a Nigeria regarded as poverty capital of the world.
“Apart from infrastructural interventions which you did, most of the very useful institutions like EFCC, the ICPC and so on are now being used to hound people.
“I remember when you took some of us to Germany to the offices to the Transparency International and we had a very useful discussion there.”
He added: “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 for Nigerians but to our party and Africa .”
He continued: “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 didn’t actually support you, you brought them back on board and they supported you in your second tenure and that was an achievement.
“Today, Buhari’s nepotism has divided Nigerians just as his other actions have further created wedges between fellow countrymen and women.
“It is our prayer that you will continue to try and support us.
“In Africa today, in all modesty, after the departure of late 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 former President Olusegun Obasanjo and you have continued to display good leadership.”
Ayu said: “Even though you (Obasanjo) 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? Maybe, 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 words of elders is the word of wisdom and there is no leader here in this country than president Olusegun Obasanjo.”
