2019: Obasanjo really needed to rescue Nigeria, say PDP leaders

Saturday, July 14, 2018 8:59 pm

Secondus speaking to journalists after the meeting with former President Obasanjo in Abeokuta

Adejoke’ Adeleye, Abeokuta

Leaders of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP said the closed door meeting they held with former President Olusegun Obasanjo in Abeokuta, Ogun State on Saturday was a success.

PDP leaders said the former President agreed to lead their party and African Democratic Congress, ADC which he had earlier endorsed in the battle to displace the incumbent President Olusegun Obasanjo and the ruling All Progressives Congress from APC in the 2019 general election.

While confirming this to journalists, the National Chairman of PDP, Uche Secondus said, “Obasanjo is a national leader, he is a father of the nation, we came to consult with him. Baba (Obasanjo) is no longer in PDP, but he is still the father of the nation, so I believe that regardless of the political party, direction is what is needed now, he is really needed now to rescue Nigeria.

“We don’t want to duel on a rumor that BABA is in another political party. As a father of the nation, he cannot join a party ,you are aware that the country is sliding under APC government, therefore the media should do us a favour to help us reach out to others.”

While collaborating Secondus’ assertions, Chief Bode George, former deputy national chairman of PDP said the visit to Obasanjo was a clarion call because nobody wants the country to be destroyed: “The thing is APC is not doing well. The questions for those who want to vote should ask themselves are “are you better off today than before ?” if yes, vote APC. But if you are dissatisfied with your economic life in the country, your standard of living, about security, about unemployment and all that, you do otherwise.

“That is why every four years you must go back to rebuild your mandate, that is the beauty of democracy. It is not a military government, you are accountable to the people of this country and that is why in everything you do, in the four years, three years you do better, the last one year you account for it, that is why you should go back to renew your mandate.

“We must be fooling ourselves, if we don’t tell ourselves the truth.

Adding that “this is not a matter of politics now, we the manager should know how to manage the economy of our country for the benefit of our people”.

“Therefore, let Nigerians wake up and ask themselves those questions and if they are not then let them do like they do in other democratic governments in the world – change the government, We have learnt our lessons and that is why we in PDP have come together. If you have common agenda with us, why can’t we come together? There are no ideological differences either central right and some to central left. It’s just a basic issue of ensuring economic peace for our nation.

PDP is the real engineer of political land scape of this country. Fortunately we don’t have ideological differences what we have now is to make sure we have a better Nigeria – that when you sleep at night you can sleep with your two eyes closed.

I know when I was a young boy in Lagos those who sell cows don’t take them up and down. They even sell their urine that our parent put in the kitchen and call call it “itomalu” those who have convulsion or what they called “giri” in Yorubaland, when they faint and you put the urine in their nose, they wake up and in those days they used to be very accommodating.

Allso at the meeting was the party governorship aspirant in Ogun, Hon Oladipupo Adebutu..

He said: “I feel extremely glad working with the party National Working Commitee and the Board of Trutees and I believe we are honored to be part of this process, it is colorful to have come from Abuja to meet our Baba of modern democracy in Nigeria.

“We have done everything that is supposed to be done, we have done right and BABA in his good kindness has extended his forgiveness, so we are happy that he has graciously say that he was going to lead us.”

The unity that existed in this nation before this administration is what we want for better living for all Nigerians.

All efforts to speak with Chief Olusegun Obasanjo proved abortive.