Former President Olusegun Obasanjo
The
moves by the Presidency and the Peoples Democratic to seek the support
of former President Olusegun Obasanjo for President Goodluck Jonathan in
2015 have reached a dead end.
The PUNCH’s investigations in
Abuja on Sunday showed that Jonathan and the PDP had been reaching out
to Obasanjo since last December when the disagreement between them
worsened.
It was, however, gathered that the
former President had not changed his position, particularly on how the
PDP should be run and the need for the President to honour his alleged
pledge not to contest the 2015 presidential poll.
A member of the PDP Board of Trustees,
who confided in one of correspondents, said, “The Presidency and the
party have been talking with Obasanjo on the need to support Jonathan;
but we have not made progress. Baba is still insisting that the issues
he raised in his letters must be addressed.”
Obasanjo had in a December 2, 2013
letter to the President said that Jonathan told him that he had not
informed anybody that he would contest the 2015 presidential election.
The former President said he told the President that facts on the ground did not tally with his earlier promise.
Obasanjo recalled that in 2011, Jonathan told Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswan that he would not contest in 2015.
The former President’s letter read in
part, “I decided to cross-check with you. You did not hesitate to
confirm to me that you are a strong believer in a one-term of six years
for the President and that by the time you have used the
unexpired time of your predecessor(the late Umaru Yar’Adua) and
the four years of your first term, you would have almost used
up to six years and you would not need any more term or time.”
But Jonathan in his reply dated December 20, 2013, said Obasanjo’s claims were wrong.
The President further said, “You
(Obasanjo) quoted me as saying that I have not told anybody that I will
seek another term in office in 2015. You and your ambitious acolytes
within the party have clearly decided to act on your conclusion that
‘only a fool will believe that statement’ and embark on a virulent
campaign to harass me out of an undeclared candidature for the 2015
presidential elections so as to pave the way for a successor anointed by
you.”
In another letter dated January 7, 2014,
written to the former PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur,
Obasanjo said he had withdrawn from the party.
Among other reasons he cited was the imposition of Chief Buruji Kasamu, as the South-West PDP leader.
A PDP Board of Trustees member, who
pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the issues,
said that Obasanjo’s demands, particularly on the President and the 2015
elections, were difficult to meet.
He said, “Inasmuch as we need him, we
cannot meet all his demands, particularly that Jonathan should honour
the so-called agreement not to contest the 2015 election.
“Baba (Obasanjo) is not happy that the party has not addressed the point he raised about the South-West PDP.”
When contacted, an associate of Obasanjo
and a former National Auditor of the party, Chief Bode Mustapha, told
one of correspondents that the issues raised by the former president had
not been addressed.
The Deputy National Publicity Secretary
of the PDP, Alhaji Abdullahi Jalo, declined comments on the grounds
that only the National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, was
competent to speak on the issue.
Attempts to get reactions from Metuh
were unsuccessful as repeated calls to his mobile telephone number
indicated that it was switched off.
He had yet to respond to a text message sent to him as of the time of filing this report.
However, a source in the National Working Committee of the party said talks were on-going on the matter.
He said, “Talks have been going on
albeit informally. You will recall just yesterday (Saturday) that
Obasanjo was at the wedding of the President’s daughter.
“For those of us who were there, it was
obvious that when Baba held discussions with Chief Edwin Clark it was
more than a social one. Our enemies will soon be put to shame because
the issues are being addressed.”
The Presidency had confirmed to one of
our correspondents on Friday that the President was reaching out to
Nigerians, including Obasanjo on the 2015 presidential poll.
The Special Adviser to the President on
Political Matters, Mr. Ahmed Gulak, who disclosed this did not give
details of the moves to woo Obasanjo or whether they had succeeded
or not.
A member of the PDP BOT, Chief
Ebenezer Babatope, said the party would not discountenance anything that
was genuinely brought to it by any member.
He, however, said, “Chief Obasanjo did
not tell the party where the promise (by Jonathan to do a single term)
was made. As I speak to you, the trend in the PDP now is moving in the
direction of 97 to 98 per cent of the party asking the President to
contest for a second term.”
On the issue of restructuring the PDP in
the South-West, Babatope said the party was fully aware of the
implications of giving the party to the wrong people.
He said “The party cannot afford to give the party to wrong hands because its success or failure in the zone will depend on it.”
Asked to comment on the status of
Olagunsoye Oyinlola, former national secretary of the PDP, who was
reinstated by a court, Babatope said, “The party is a respecter of the
rule of law.”
He added that his supporters were in court challenging the process which produced Oyinlola.
“I am sure that at the end of the day,
the rule of law will prevail,” Babatope, who desires to become the next
PDP national secretary, added.
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