Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has made it clear to the new national chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu that for him to return to active participation in the party, President Goodluck Jonathan should fulfill his promise not to contest the 2015 presidential election for the second tenure.
According to Greenbarge Reporters, an online medium, Obasanjo had recently made it public that he would have nothing to do with PDP again until certain anomalies are corrected. The new chairman met him recently, with a view to convincing him to change his mind.
Reliable sources said that the meeting flopped because the former President insisted Jonathan must honour his alleged promise in 2011 not to contest the 2015 presidential election.
Obasanjo was also said to have given other conditions that the new leadership of the party must meet before he would change his mind.
They include the restructuring of the party as well as the correction of the anomalies relating to the removal of Olagunsoye Oyinlola as the national secretary of the PDP and Bode Mustapha as national auditor in early 2013.
Mu’azu was reported to have, during the closed-door meeting in Abeokuta, pleaded with the former President to back the President’s alleged 2015 interest and other activities of the ruling party.
It was gathered that Obasanjo told Mu’azu bluntly to address the issues he raised in his December 2, 2013 and January 7, 2014 letters to President Goodluck Jonathan and former PDP National Chairman, Dr. Bamanga Tukur.
In his letter to Tukur dated January 7, the former President accused the PDP of negating the principles of morality by giving prominence to a party chief in the South-West, Chief Buruji Kashamu.
He also said in the December 2 letter that Jonathan told him that he had not informed anybody that he would contest the 2015 presidential election.
Obasanjo had in the letter to the President said: “Only a fool would believe that statement you made to me judging by what is going on. I must say that is not ingenious. You may wish to pursue a more credible and more honourable path.”
Part of the letter reads: “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 term of your predecessor 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.
“I cannot comment much on the constitutional aspect of your second term or what some people call third term. That is for both legal and judicial attention.
“As a leader, two things you must cherish and hold dear among others are trust and honour, both of which are important ingredients of character.”
He had also said that he would like to see anyone in the office of the Presidency as a man that could be trusted.
But President Jonathan fired back at Obasanjo in his letter dated December 22, 2013, faulting the former President’s claim and accusing him of wanting to incite Nigerians against him.
On his purported interest in the 2015 election, Jonathan said: “I am still of the considered opinion that it would have been best for us to do all that is necessary to refrain from heating up the polity at this time. Accordingly, I have already informed Nigerians that I will only speak on whether or not I will seek a second term when it is time for such declarations.
Source: People’s Daily
