Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on
Saturday openly threw his weight behind the
All Progressives Congress when some national
leaders and governors of the APC visited
him, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
A Punch correspondent gathered that the
APC leaders at the meeting solicited
Obasanjo’s support for the party in the
forthcoming elections.
The visitors started arriving at Obasanjo’s
Hilltop Mansion around 5:22pm. A former
governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola
Tinubu, led APC leaders, including the
party’s Interim National Chairman, Chief
Bisi Akande; former Head of State, General
Muhammadu Buhari; former speaker of the
House of Representatives, Aminu Masari;
former Borno State governor, Senator Ali
Modu-Sheriff; Senator Osita Isunazor;
Senator Bukola Saraki; Mr. Lai Mohammed
to the meeting.
Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State
came to the former president’s house in
company with the former Chairman of the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commissioin,
Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; the former minister of
aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode and
others in a convoy of three black jeeps.
Other APC governors at the meeting included
Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Ibikunle Amosun
(Ogun), Abdulfattah Ahmed (Kwara), Rotimi
Amaechi (Rivers), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano)
and Senator Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo).
The Chairman of the New PDP, Kawu Baraje
led some of his members and the former
Kaduna State Chairman, Yero Makama, to
the meeting.
Presenting the party chieftains and the APC
governors to Obasanjo during the opening of
the meeting, Akande said the party was in
support of the former president’s 18-page
letter to President Goodluck Jonathan.
The APC National Leader, Tinubu who
alluded to Obasanjo’s contribution to the
building of the Nigerian nation, lamented
that the country was divided more than
ever.
Apparently referring to Obasanjo’s recent
letter to Jonathan, he enjoined the former
president not to shy away from speaking the
truth.
Tinubu added that the APC had resolved to
rescue Nigeria, appealing to Obasanjo to
lead the mission.
“You’ve come out of tribulation and held the
highest position in this country. We are here
because of your courage. Nobody can say he
has information more than you. You have
surmounted a number of crises. Nigeria is
divided more than before; to realise stable
Nigeria, we want to encourage you to
continue to speak the truth. We’re resolved
and determined to rescue Nigeria. We want
you as navigator,” he said.
Responding, Obasanjo, who said he
remained a card-carrying member of the
ruling PDP, described himself as an
“incurable optimist” totally committed to
Nigeria’s well-being.
He vowed that nothing would distract him
from his commitment to the Nigerian nation.
Obasanjo also enjoined the opposition party
to play a constructive politics “without
bitterness”
The former president said, “I am a card
carrying member of the PDP but the politics
I play traverses Nigeria, Africa and world in
that order. I am a democrat and one of the
essential ingredients of democracy is
opposition. A democracy that has no
opposition built into it is not democracy.
“As an opposition, you are enhancing
democracy. You are at home, you are
welcome. I will just appeal that the politics
you play is politics without rancour, without
bitterness, with decency, that has Nigeria at
heart. I am an incurable optimist about
Nigeria, I am totally committed to Nigeria
and nothing will divert me from that
commitment.”
At the end of their two-hour meeting,
Tinubu, in a chat with newsmen, denied that
the APC had come to woo the former
president.
He said, “The meeting was not to woo him
but to tap from his wealth of political
experience.”
One of those present at the meeting, Fani-
Kayode told SUNDAY PUNCH that Obasanjo
embraced the APC at the meeting. He said,
“The ex-president told us that APC has
taken the first step in the right direction
towards making Nigeria great. It was an
excellent meeting.”
Efforts to get the reaction of the PDP and
the presidency were futile on Saturday as
the spokesmen of the party and presidency
could not be reached. Their phones were
switched off.
http://www.punchng.com/news/obasanjo-
embraces-apc/
http://www.punchng.com/news/obasanjo-
embraces-apc/
Saturday openly threw his weight behind the
All Progressives Congress when some national
leaders and governors of the APC visited
him, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
A Punch correspondent gathered that the
APC leaders at the meeting solicited
Obasanjo’s support for the party in the
forthcoming elections.
The visitors started arriving at Obasanjo’s
Hilltop Mansion around 5:22pm. A former
governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola
Tinubu, led APC leaders, including the
party’s Interim National Chairman, Chief
Bisi Akande; former Head of State, General
Muhammadu Buhari; former speaker of the
House of Representatives, Aminu Masari;
former Borno State governor, Senator Ali
Modu-Sheriff; Senator Osita Isunazor;
Senator Bukola Saraki; Mr. Lai Mohammed
to the meeting.
Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State
came to the former president’s house in
company with the former Chairman of the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commissioin,
Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; the former minister of
aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode and
others in a convoy of three black jeeps.
Other APC governors at the meeting included
Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Ibikunle Amosun
(Ogun), Abdulfattah Ahmed (Kwara), Rotimi
Amaechi (Rivers), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano)
and Senator Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo).
The Chairman of the New PDP, Kawu Baraje
led some of his members and the former
Kaduna State Chairman, Yero Makama, to
the meeting.
Presenting the party chieftains and the APC
governors to Obasanjo during the opening of
the meeting, Akande said the party was in
support of the former president’s 18-page
letter to President Goodluck Jonathan.
The APC National Leader, Tinubu who
alluded to Obasanjo’s contribution to the
building of the Nigerian nation, lamented
that the country was divided more than
ever.
Apparently referring to Obasanjo’s recent
letter to Jonathan, he enjoined the former
president not to shy away from speaking the
truth.
Tinubu added that the APC had resolved to
rescue Nigeria, appealing to Obasanjo to
lead the mission.
“You’ve come out of tribulation and held the
highest position in this country. We are here
because of your courage. Nobody can say he
has information more than you. You have
surmounted a number of crises. Nigeria is
divided more than before; to realise stable
Nigeria, we want to encourage you to
continue to speak the truth. We’re resolved
and determined to rescue Nigeria. We want
you as navigator,” he said.
Responding, Obasanjo, who said he
remained a card-carrying member of the
ruling PDP, described himself as an
“incurable optimist” totally committed to
Nigeria’s well-being.
He vowed that nothing would distract him
from his commitment to the Nigerian nation.
Obasanjo also enjoined the opposition party
to play a constructive politics “without
bitterness”
The former president said, “I am a card
carrying member of the PDP but the politics
I play traverses Nigeria, Africa and world in
that order. I am a democrat and one of the
essential ingredients of democracy is
opposition. A democracy that has no
opposition built into it is not democracy.
“As an opposition, you are enhancing
democracy. You are at home, you are
welcome. I will just appeal that the politics
you play is politics without rancour, without
bitterness, with decency, that has Nigeria at
heart. I am an incurable optimist about
Nigeria, I am totally committed to Nigeria
and nothing will divert me from that
commitment.”
At the end of their two-hour meeting,
Tinubu, in a chat with newsmen, denied that
the APC had come to woo the former
president.
He said, “The meeting was not to woo him
but to tap from his wealth of political
experience.”
One of those present at the meeting, Fani-
Kayode told SUNDAY PUNCH that Obasanjo
embraced the APC at the meeting. He said,
“The ex-president told us that APC has
taken the first step in the right direction
towards making Nigeria great. It was an
excellent meeting.”
Efforts to get the reaction of the PDP and
the presidency were futile on Saturday as
the spokesmen of the party and presidency
could not be reached. Their phones were
switched off.
http://www.punchng.com/news/obasanjo-
embraces-apc/
http://www.punchng.com/news/obasanjo-
embraces-apc/
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