My Commitment To Nigeria Overrides My Loyalty To PDP But I’ll Never Leave PDP – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Sunday said that his commitment to Nigeria is beyond partisan politics and that he may not participate actively in PDP activities.
Obasanjo said this in statement released to journalists in Abeokuta on sunday.
“My interest and commitment to Nigeria go beyond partisan politics,”
“’Under no condition will my commitment to Nigeria be diminished.”
“For me, it is commitment to Nigeria first and any other commitment can only follow
in second or third place. Where any other commitment is in tandem with what I see
and understand as commitment to Nigeria,
such other commitment will share a pride of place with Nigeria.”
Obasanjo said that the country was at a point where everyone is needed to bring her back to the top.
“Today, Nigeria needs all hands on deck to deal with our pressing problems of security including the issue of Chibok girls, widening
inequality, infrastructure, impunity, corruption, poverty and youth education,skill-acquisition, empowerment and employment.
“These are issues of concern to most Nigerians. We all need to join hands to move Nigeria forward..”
Obasanjo has a grouse with President Goodluck Jonathan over his decision to contest the 2015 elections. This, according to Obasanjo was contrary to the agreement made in 2011.
There have been newspaper reports that the former President has received several entreaties to return officially to PDP and he confirmed it. He however, said it was wrong for anybody to ask him to return to PDP because he never left in the first place.
“During last week when I was in South Africa as the Chairman of AU Commission
of Inquiry on South Sudan and while with my fellow Commissioners, we were
deliberating on how to help that new country out of its problem of security and
violence, I received avalanche of news and cacophony of appeals and pleadings from
some quarters of PDP leadership,” he said.
“Talking of inviting me back to PDP is wrong and it is a great misrepresentation as
I have never left PDP and I will never leave PDP,” he said. “I have said it before and I
will say it again, I rose to become the President of Nigeria on the platform of PDP and for that reason alone, I will remain a card-carrying and ward-active member of PDP for as long as I have to be a political party member.”
He added that “nobody has personally offended me as a result of my membership
of PDP. If, however, anybody or group feels offended by my continued membership, I will offer an unreserved apology but continue to remain in the party.
“I have had occasions to say to the President, the Senate President and the Party Chairman separately that I have no quarrel with any individual or group in the Party.”
He explained that his reason for staying inactive is on a moral ground stating the example of Kashamu Buruji’s drug case in the US.
“For instance, as a former President of Nigeria, the Chairman of West Africa
Commission on Drug and a member of Global Commission on Drug, I cannot accept that the Zonal leader of my political Party
and, worse still in my zone, will be an indicted drug baron wanted in America.
“How do I explain that to friends outside Nigeria?”
“This is only one of the many issues that I have pointed and still pointing out,” he said.
He said he would, however, remain active at the PDP ward level urging all begging him to return to PDP to
“realize that we must put Nigeria’s interest above politics – party or personal – otherwise, we will all be judged at the bar of history if not the bar of current affairs. In addition, we must preserve, sustain and deepen democracy and democratic practices.”