UPDATED: Obasanjo Vows Never To Return To PDP
Nigeria’s former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, on Tuesday vowed never return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He made this vow to journalists after meeting behind closed-doors with the National Caretaker Chairman (NCC) of the party, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, .
The meeting, which took place at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Ogun state capital, lasted for about an hour.
“I will never return to the PDP, just like a dog would never return to its vomit,” Obasanjo said.
He made a public show of his departure from the PDP when he publicly shred his membership card weeks to the 2015 general election.
Obasanjo said: "I have said publicly that for
our democracy to thrive and to continue to be strong, we need strong party in
government and strong party in opposition. It has to be that way, otherwise,
the party in government will get away with impunity and that is not good for
democracy.”
When asked what was discussed at the meeting which
lasted for about two hours, the former president simply told journalists that
Makarfi was in Abeokuta just to greet him as a former colleague.
"So, chairman has come to greet me and I greeted
him. So, now that we have greeted ourselves, chairman will be going. You,
gentlemen and ladies of the press can now go and leave the chairman alone,"
Obasanjo said in pidgin English.
Meanwhile, the factional Chairman of PDP in Ogun
State, Bayo Dayo, has described as untrue the claim that party members had
converged on the party state secretariat to protest against the visit of
Makarfi.
Dayo, who later addressed journalists at the party
secretariat, said against the falsehood being circulated on the social media on
the purported attack on Senator Makarfi and his entourage, the party members
had only gathered to give a rousing welcome to the national caretaker chairman
of the party.
He, therefore, blamed former Governor in the state,
Otunba Gbenga Daniel, as the brain behind the rumours, which Dayo termed as
"wicked and unfounded."
Obasanjo said: "I have said publicly that for
our democracy to thrive and to continue to be strong, we need strong party in
government and strong party in opposition. It has to be that way, otherwise,
the party in government will get away with impunity and that is not good for
democracy.”
When asked what was discussed at the meeting which
lasted for about two hours, the former president simply told journalists that
Makarfi was in Abeokuta just to greet him as a former colleague.
"So, chairman has come to greet me and I greeted
him. So, now that we have greeted ourselves, chairman will be going. You,
gentlemen and ladies of the press can now go and leave the chairman alone,"
Obasanjo said in pidgin English.
Meanwhile, the factional Chairman of PDP in Ogun
State, Bayo Dayo, has described as untrue the claim that party members had
converged on the party state secretariat to protest against the visit of
Makarfi.
Dayo, who later addressed journalists at the party
secretariat, said against the falsehood being circulated on the social media on
the purported attack on Senator Makarfi and his entourage, the party members
had only gathered to give a rousing welcome to the national caretaker chairman
of the party.
He, therefore, blamed former Governor in the state,
Otunba Gbenga Daniel, as the brain behind the rumours, which Dayo termed as
"wicked and unfounded."
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