Says ex-president on his way back to PDP
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has been described as a hypocrite who bastardised Nigeria’s democracy. Making this declaration during an interview with SATURDAY SUN, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Board of Trustees, Chief Shuaibu Oyedokun described Obasanjo as a dictator and anti-democratic element when he was in office.
Oyedokun who was reacting to a statement credited to Obasanjo recently in which the former Nigerian leader described state governors as emperors said: “Obasanjo is the number one emperor. He was a dictator and tyrant when he was in office. He was even more terrible than some of the state governors” The PDP leader spoke on this and other issues in this interview with TUNDE THOMAS. Excerpts:
AS an elder and one of the founding fathers of the PDP, what is your reaction to the intra-party crisis rocking the party?
What is happening in the party should not come as a surprise. This kind of crisis is to be expected after the party’s loss of the presidential election.
You know the PDP was in power for so long, and this is the first time we are finding ourselves outside power. So, the crisis is expected. Meanwhile, everything is being done to bring the situation under control. But the National Working Committee, NWC and the party’s Board of Trustees are holding a series of meetings to chart the way forward. PDP will not die. It will bounce back stronger. We are on top of the situation.
What is your assessment of the ongoing war against corruption by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration?
It is a welcome development, provided it is well-coordinated and provided there is no evidence of witch-hunting. It is a war everybody will like to support, but then the war should not be seen to be selective or to being seen as an instrument of persecution of political opponents.
For instance, I was not happy about a report that security operatives allegedly broke into the office of the former vice-president, Namadi Sambo, without following due process.
To me, this war against corruption seem to be tilted against the PDP and perhaps, out of fear of persecution, some PDP members are defecting to the APC. To me, that development is not good for our democracy. For democracy to survive, it requires the presence of a vibrant opposition.
My advice to our members in the PDP is that they should all remain in the party. We should all join hands to rebuild the party. There is no place like home. For APC, where they have gone to, they will be regarded as strangers.
I’m even surprised that people like Jim Nwobodo joined the exodus. This is a man of principle; a man who is supposed to be the last man standing in the PDP. He should have remained within the PDP to defend whatever allegation anybody has against him.
How do you see the alleged involvement of some elderstatesmen like Tanko Yakassai, Tony Anenih and Olu Falae in the 1.2 billion dollars arms fund scandal?
Sincerely speaking, we have been unfair to these highly respected Nigerians. How would they know the source of the money that the National Security Adviser was giving to them? It is not possible.
They were given this money for election and other issues relating to national security, so how do you expect them to ask about the source of the money? They are eminent Nigerians that have paid their dues and this is why I spoke earlier about PDP members being witch-hunted. How many members of the APC have been picked? Are they telling us that APC members are saints while PDP members are villains?
Some Nigerians are saying that these elder statesmen should apologise to Nigerians for allegedly collecting this money …?
(cuts in) Apologise for what? Why are you asking somebody to apologise after you have put him on trial? We should allow the process of the trial to continue and come to a conclusion before we can talk about apology or not. What if the court pronounces these people free of any crime or misdeed? Who apologises to who? These people should not be pronounced guilty until after the conclusion of their trial.
Should former President Goodluck Jonathan be invited for questioning as being canvassed by some people over this issue?
It will be too dangerous to invite Jonathan. That will not be diplomatic. It will be a dangerous approach which will have serious repercussion on our polity. I believe it is better for Buhari and Jonathan to meet and clear any issue requiring clarification. That approach is better than asking security agents to invite Jonathan for questioning. We should not forget that Jonathan handed over power in good faith. Nothing stops him from toying with the idea of hanging on to power, but for the statesman that he is, he handed over power without plunging Nigeria into crisis. I believe such a fellow deserves respect.
How would you assess the 8 months of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration?
Nigeria as a country is very difficult to handle. Handling Nigeria is not easy. But I believe eight months is too early for anybody to make any impact. It is too early to judge him. Let’s give him more time. However, what is important again is that action should speak louder than words.
For instance, the way people are making noise about the anti-corruption war all over the world can be counter-productive. It can expose Nigeria to dangers. The way Mr President speaks at times about corruption in Nigeria may even scare foreign investors.
Investors would think twice before coming to Nigeria. Buhari should review or change his approach.
What is your reaction to the recent statement credited to former President Olusegun Obasanjo describing state governors as emperors?
Obasanjo should not be taken seriously. He is an hypocrite. Obasanjo is the number one emperor. He was the one that encouraged the governors to take after him by hijacking the leadership and party structures in their states.
Obasanjo hijacked the PDP and sidelined party leaders when he was in office. If there is anybody to be called Emperor I, it is Obasanjo. He did a lot of damage to the PDP.
Although Obasanjo started very well, he later derailed as a result of his lust for power. His ambition made him to destroy PDP. Many PDP leaders were witch-hunted by Obasanjo because of his lust for power. He is not fit to describe governors as emperors. Whatever bad thing the governors are doing today in terms of their desire to grab power, they are taking a cue from Obasanjo. I believe that by now, Obasanjo must have repented. You know or can recall the number of PDP national chairmen that were removed during Obasanjo’s time. They were countless.
But I believe Obasanjo has repented, and he’s coming back to join hands with us to rebuild the PDP. Contrary to what Nigerians believe, Obasanjo didn’t tear his original PDP membership card. The man standing beside him on that day tore another party member’s card. I know Obasanjo’s membership card number.
Obasanjo’s original card is still with him, intact. He will bring it out one day and Nigerians will be shocked. Obasanjo was trained as an engineer. He is very good in building, he will be very useful to us in the PDP rebuilding process. PDP is very dear to Obasanjo. He is surely coming back, and we are expecting him very soon.
SUN
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has been described as a hypocrite who bastardised Nigeria’s democracy. Making this declaration during an interview with SATURDAY SUN, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Board of Trustees, Chief Shuaibu Oyedokun described Obasanjo as a dictator and anti-democratic element when he was in office.
Oyedokun who was reacting to a statement credited to Obasanjo recently in which the former Nigerian leader described state governors as emperors said: “Obasanjo is the number one emperor. He was a dictator and tyrant when he was in office. He was even more terrible than some of the state governors” The PDP leader spoke on this and other issues in this interview with TUNDE THOMAS. Excerpts:
AS an elder and one of the founding fathers of the PDP, what is your reaction to the intra-party crisis rocking the party?
What is happening in the party should not come as a surprise. This kind of crisis is to be expected after the party’s loss of the presidential election.
You know the PDP was in power for so long, and this is the first time we are finding ourselves outside power. So, the crisis is expected. Meanwhile, everything is being done to bring the situation under control. But the National Working Committee, NWC and the party’s Board of Trustees are holding a series of meetings to chart the way forward. PDP will not die. It will bounce back stronger. We are on top of the situation.
What is your assessment of the ongoing war against corruption by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration?
It is a welcome development, provided it is well-coordinated and provided there is no evidence of witch-hunting. It is a war everybody will like to support, but then the war should not be seen to be selective or to being seen as an instrument of persecution of political opponents.
For instance, I was not happy about a report that security operatives allegedly broke into the office of the former vice-president, Namadi Sambo, without following due process.
To me, this war against corruption seem to be tilted against the PDP and perhaps, out of fear of persecution, some PDP members are defecting to the APC. To me, that development is not good for our democracy. For democracy to survive, it requires the presence of a vibrant opposition.
My advice to our members in the PDP is that they should all remain in the party. We should all join hands to rebuild the party. There is no place like home. For APC, where they have gone to, they will be regarded as strangers.
I’m even surprised that people like Jim Nwobodo joined the exodus. This is a man of principle; a man who is supposed to be the last man standing in the PDP. He should have remained within the PDP to defend whatever allegation anybody has against him.
How do you see the alleged involvement of some elderstatesmen like Tanko Yakassai, Tony Anenih and Olu Falae in the 1.2 billion dollars arms fund scandal?
Sincerely speaking, we have been unfair to these highly respected Nigerians. How would they know the source of the money that the National Security Adviser was giving to them? It is not possible.
They were given this money for election and other issues relating to national security, so how do you expect them to ask about the source of the money? They are eminent Nigerians that have paid their dues and this is why I spoke earlier about PDP members being witch-hunted. How many members of the APC have been picked? Are they telling us that APC members are saints while PDP members are villains?
Some Nigerians are saying that these elder statesmen should apologise to Nigerians for allegedly collecting this money …?
(cuts in) Apologise for what? Why are you asking somebody to apologise after you have put him on trial? We should allow the process of the trial to continue and come to a conclusion before we can talk about apology or not. What if the court pronounces these people free of any crime or misdeed? Who apologises to who? These people should not be pronounced guilty until after the conclusion of their trial.
Should former President Goodluck Jonathan be invited for questioning as being canvassed by some people over this issue?
It will be too dangerous to invite Jonathan. That will not be diplomatic. It will be a dangerous approach which will have serious repercussion on our polity. I believe it is better for Buhari and Jonathan to meet and clear any issue requiring clarification. That approach is better than asking security agents to invite Jonathan for questioning. We should not forget that Jonathan handed over power in good faith. Nothing stops him from toying with the idea of hanging on to power, but for the statesman that he is, he handed over power without plunging Nigeria into crisis. I believe such a fellow deserves respect.
How would you assess the 8 months of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration?
Nigeria as a country is very difficult to handle. Handling Nigeria is not easy. But I believe eight months is too early for anybody to make any impact. It is too early to judge him. Let’s give him more time. However, what is important again is that action should speak louder than words.
For instance, the way people are making noise about the anti-corruption war all over the world can be counter-productive. It can expose Nigeria to dangers. The way Mr President speaks at times about corruption in Nigeria may even scare foreign investors.
Investors would think twice before coming to Nigeria. Buhari should review or change his approach.
What is your reaction to the recent statement credited to former President Olusegun Obasanjo describing state governors as emperors?
Obasanjo should not be taken seriously. He is an hypocrite. Obasanjo is the number one emperor. He was the one that encouraged the governors to take after him by hijacking the leadership and party structures in their states.
Obasanjo hijacked the PDP and sidelined party leaders when he was in office. If there is anybody to be called Emperor I, it is Obasanjo. He did a lot of damage to the PDP.
Although Obasanjo started very well, he later derailed as a result of his lust for power. His ambition made him to destroy PDP. Many PDP leaders were witch-hunted by Obasanjo because of his lust for power. He is not fit to describe governors as emperors. Whatever bad thing the governors are doing today in terms of their desire to grab power, they are taking a cue from Obasanjo. I believe that by now, Obasanjo must have repented. You know or can recall the number of PDP national chairmen that were removed during Obasanjo’s time. They were countless.
But I believe Obasanjo has repented, and he’s coming back to join hands with us to rebuild the PDP. Contrary to what Nigerians believe, Obasanjo didn’t tear his original PDP membership card. The man standing beside him on that day tore another party member’s card. I know Obasanjo’s membership card number.
Obasanjo’s original card is still with him, intact. He will bring it out one day and Nigerians will be shocked. Obasanjo was trained as an engineer. He is very good in building, he will be very useful to us in the PDP rebuilding process. PDP is very dear to Obasanjo. He is surely coming back, and we are expecting him very soon.
SUN
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