Former Nigeria’s President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, and the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prof. Iyochia Ayu, has differed on the ex president’s party membership status.
Ayu at the weekend had led members of the National Working Committee of the party on a visit to Obasanjo at his residence in Abeokuta.
Briefing newsmen after a close door meeting that lasted few hours, the PDP national chairman said he believed the former president remained a member of the party, despite his retirement from partisan politics.
“Even though you retired from partisan politics, partisan politics, you will never retire from your blood, because you want the right thing done and since you want the right thing done, for life you will remain an emeritus member of the PDP.
“You cannot build a house and leave it to collapse. You throw a challenge to me that if I have been there from the beginning why have I not done anything, may be I was doing something but it was not good enough, we will continue to contribute our own quota, we will continue to come to you”, Ayu stated.
He, however, lauded the contributions of the former President to nation building, saying that the country enjoyed the best of times during his tenure under the PDP.
“Your period as President under the platform of PDP is seen as the golden era of the PDP because not only did you grow the economy to be the biggest economy in Africa, you were able to eradicate Nigeria from slavery by negotiating and cancelling so much of our foreign debts that would have made it very difficult to run the country.
“By the time you left office, Nigeria was totally set free, direct foreign investment was on the increase on a daily basis, we were respected in international community.
“Anytime we talked about the history of the PDP there is no way we talk about the PDP without mentioning between 1999 and 2007. We thank you very much for your contribution to be a statesman which is the correct thing you are doing.
“We want to assure you that under the new leadership of the PDP with the rest of PDP family, we will do everything possible ward to ward, local government by local government across the country to restore the lost glory of Nigeria which your era was a shinning example”, he added.
Meanwhile, Obasanjo in his remarks said he is done with partisan politics and nothing can bring him back, adding that he will always offer advice to anyone in the interest of the country.
“I am no longer in partisan politics, and there is nothing that can bring me back. Anybody who wants my advise, I will always be there in the best interest of Nigeria.
“Because I became president on the platform of PDP, the party will continue to be part of my life. Since the day I tore my PDP card, that was the day I ceased to be a member of PDP.
“That day, I vowed not to be a member of any political party. I will continue to be a statesman”, he stressed.
In attendance at the parley included, the 2019 PDP Vice Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, former governors, Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo), Liyel Imoke (Cross River) and Donald Duke (Cross River).
Others were the deputy national chairman of PDP (South), Taofeek Arapaja, Hon. Ladi Adebutu and other party officials drawn from national and state levels.
