EXCLUSIVE: Ex-President, Obasanjo, turns down pleas to help revive PDP

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has rebuffed repeated pleas from concerned member of the Peoples Democratic Party to help revive the party following its defeat in the March 28 presidential election.

President Goodluck Jonathan, who flew the PDP flag in the March 28 election, lost to his All Progressives Congress challenger, Muhammadu Buhari, a former military head of state.

The party, which has ruled Nigeria since the return of democracy 16 years ago, also lost its majority status in the National Assembly just as it won a fewer number of states unlike in the past election.

With the defeat, the ruling party will now take on the opposition role as from May 29 when Mr. Jonathan hands over power to Mr. Buhari.
Since the defeat, the party’s senior members have been bickering with one another with some demanding the exit of its National Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu and other officers, who are accused of working against the party during the election.

Concerned about the future of the party, some of its leaders have been reaching out to Mr. Obasanjo to return to the party and help build it ahead of future elections.

The former president had in February directed a fellow PDP member and ward leader to openly tear his party membership card at a forum in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that among those persuading him to return to lead the party were serving governors and federal lawmakers who believed the party should play viable opposition in the next dispensation.

Mr. Obasanjo’s close allies said the anxious party men have been pressuring the former leader, who was the first elected president on the party’s platform, by either visiting him or through telephone calls.

This newspaper learnt that the former president, who was also the PDP leader and Chairman of its Board of Trustees, has repeatedly rebuffed the request to return to the party.

Sources close to him said at some point he told those mounting pressure on him that rather than returning to the party he would encourage viable opposition from other standpoints.

“I’m done with party politics here on earth and in heaven. Period,” Mr. Obasanjo was overheard telling a PDP chieftain who telephoned him recently to raise the matter.

Mr. Obasanjo was also said to have told some people pressuring him that he could have considered returning to the party had his membership card not been publicly thorn before the general elections.

He was quoted as saying his membership card has been shredded and that “as it is now, a goat has eaten up the pieces”.
Mr. Obasanjo confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES in a telephone interview that he has been under pressure to return to the PDP but vowed not to do so.

“I’m not ready to discuss partisan politics because I’m done with it,” he said.

After a meeting with Mr. Jonathan sometime in February, the outgoing governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, had assured that the PDP would beg Mr. Obasanjo to return to the party.

“When a father is angry with his children, the children should beg him. Baba is more than a party man. He is an icon, a national symbol and a leader and inventor, a creator of all the institutions today in Nigeria from the president to the governors, who are his own sons, are all his creations.”

“And so when a father is angry with his children, we will only say we are sorry to him. But then, we cannot be renounced for whatever it is…….We might have made some mistakes, but abandoning us is not the solution because the country is first before anything else. So, he is our Baba even up to the president.”

But Mr. Obasanjo told PREMIUM TIMES he has foreclosed any possibility of returning to the PDP.

“I agree that Nigeria needs a strong and viable opposition and I will continue to encourage that,” the former President said. “I will continue to do that even without belonging to a political party. I have moved beyond party politics.”

SOURCE:http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/182876-exclusive-ex-president-obasanjo-turns-down-pleas-to-help-revive-pdp.html?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

who cares about their corrupt ways of life


FTC is dedicated to all the less privileges all over the world may God help them .


hit like if u are in jesus party and share if u are a traitor.

i thought some novice and naive people said the genie of owu was inconsequential.

I thought some people doubted the influence and the relevant of Obasanjo, I should have expected PDP to depend on the leadership of their hero GEJ to rebuild the party.

So this PDP people have no shame at all, imagine a man that tore your membership card in the public and was one of the biggest factor of their lost is the same man is who they went begging to revive the corrupt dead party the clueless one killed. From what I see the chicken has come home to roast oooo !!!

lemme tell us somtin

GEJ ddnt lose because of any superior support (like OBJ)

GEJ failed because of APC hate campaign against him

APC crippled his government with boko haram

under aged almajiris vote

northerners are higher in population


betrayal from d ppl he trusted

so obasanjo has no power or influence to revive PDP

we're coming back by 2019

F**k him

Obj wasted his years as president and also made sure Goodluck never succeed

I am pro PDP(at least till APC proves itself) but this is what makes me mad about PDP! Are they trying to say if obasanjo dies today, PDP would also die? God forbid i give birth to a child that is forever dependent on me. PDP should listen to some of the finest Governors it ever produced, Donald duke of cross rivers and shema of katsina. Those men have given great advice on how to reinvent the party. first, all elected PDP legislators and executives should see themselves as ambassadors of their party. They must be seen doing their best and making giant strides, this is the only way to regain the trust of the electorates. PDP must accept its mistakes, i mean its misrule, right now they think the only reason they lost is because they lost their Godfathers.

Rid the party of all thief thief politicians, including obasanjo and my very own Governor uduaghan. Get people with integrity and ideas, inshort this is the best time. Because all the i must chop politicians will leave now that there is no food at abuja, so whoever remains is a loyalist.

PDP must revisit the foundation on which it was founded and root out all mistakes

TheY must rebrand everything and even their name to be a good competitor in 2019.

There is no difference between PDP and APC leaderships but PDP as it stands depicts evil, corruption and 16years of wasted national life.


we need a viable opposition to checkmate APC and make the political climate interesting.

Wait...the PDP is begging Obasanjo the guy they say is a their to come back? I won't be surprised though.

A party that has people like Babangida can have all sorts of people in their ranks even if they call him/her a thief

Baba Niyen

Baba

Ebora Owu playing polithricks SINCE 1822BC

I thought they said he behaves like a motor park tout? PDP is gradually dying. Soon the party will be broken into factions. This will be an easy ground for members to defect to other parties.

Oro agba biko se lowuro ase lojo ale. If this story is anything to go about, then the end of PDP is at hand. U can never eat ur cake and still have it. PDP is like an oshrich that bury its head in the sand when the whole of the body is exposed to danger. The bane of this party is wastefulness, massive corruption and lack of organization.

So.... Una fit beg?

focus7:
I thought some people doubted the influence and the relevant of Obasanjo, I should have expected PDP to depend on the leadership of their hero GEJ to rebuild the party.

atink if thunder fire u now u go say u no do anything

Let him go and sleep
Who cares?
OBJ is a very corrupt

He should please remain THE CHIEF NAVIGATOR for his new found party called APC.

PDP shall be back stronger with another name.

Yes, we shall be back.

I give them four years. Yes, they don't have more than four years before things would go south for them. The Aggrieved Progressive Congress shall not last long in power.

They will begin to read book of Lamentation soon. It's started already. I don't know who's going to read the book of Lamentation first between Amaechi and Tinubu. I just dey laugh the DESPERADOS

Nansense.

PDP is as good as dead kudos to GEJ, FFK, Okupe & co meanwhile some internet minions like the protection seeking dude that doesn't have any electoral influence in their immediate wards are busy bragging on how to be a formidable opposition online.

Is he God??

Why begging him??

Pdp self dey fall hand!
Nonsense

I dey laff oooo

focus7:
I thought some people doubted the influence and the relevant of Obasanjo, I should have expected PDP to depend on the leadership of their hero GEJ to rebuild the party.

GEJ that will soon be dumped like a piece of garbage after may 29.
Whose sane ambitious party would let GEJ lead them?
Even Wike and Fayose would soon reject GEJ's leadership as soon as he leaves office.

Any member of PDP seeking to bring back OBJ should be struck by thunder.

AFTER THEY CALLED HIM ALL SORTS OF UNPRINTABLE NAMES

WHY SHOULD HE REVIVE IT?

PDP IS DEAD AND BURIED,LEARN TO LIVE WITH IT ...TANOIDS

What is there to revive again..........






The party is now a shadow of itself

I don't believe this story.