former President Olusegun Obasanjo
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday said former President
Olusegun Obasanjo is yet to return to its fold almost four years after
quitting his membership of the party.
Kola Ologbondiyan, the party’s National Publicity Secretary said
the former president’s endorsement of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s
presidential candidate is not an indication that he has returned to the
party.
He said if Obasanjo decides to join the PDP today, a new membership card will be issued to him immediately.
He said the quest to remove President Muhammadu Buhari from office
in 2019 through the ballot box transcends political parties, adding that
Nigerians from all walks of life are rallying behind the PDP having
realised that it is the veritable platform through which the mission can
be realised.
He said: “On the issue of giving former President Olusegun
Obasanjo a new party membership card, we are not there yet. Former
President Obasanjo said he is a statesman. And he has not indicated his
desire to return to our party. I am sure if he does it today, he will be
issued a party card immediately.
“The desire to remove Buhari from power is a pan-Nigerian
movement. Many Nigerians from all walks of life are eager to remove him
from office because of his incompetence and because his presidency has
failed Nigerians.
“So, the decision has no party bearing. It is a pan-Nigerian
movement but because the task can only be achieved through a political
party and because the PDP has repositioned itself, having being
rebranded and reformed, Nigerians are rallying across party lines to our
party in order to remove President Muhammadu Buhari from power through
the ballot box.”
Obasanjo, it will be recalled, in February 2015 handed over his PDP
membership card to the Ward 11 leader in Abeokuta North local
government, Alhaji Surajudeen Oladunjoye and instructed him to tear it.
He said if his involvement in partisan politics would stop him from
having a better Nigeria, then he is ready to sacrifice membership of
the PDP and become a statesman.