by Deji Abiodun
The former Senate chief whip, Senator Roland Owie, advised the president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, to avoid the former president Olusegun Obasanjo like the plague if he wanted to succeed as Nigeria’s leader.
Owie gave his advice in a statement made on April 15, 2015, in Benin City, the capital of Edo state.
“To Buhari, I thank God for you, but you must deliver on your promises and also build on what president Jonathan did.
“Above all, you must run far from OBJ! (Olusegun Obasanjo). If he can’t control your government, he will fight you.
“He has done it to all former presidents of Nigeria and even against MKO Abiola who was not sworn in.
“Never! never! I say never discuss with OBJ unless you have at least two of your aides present!”
According to the senator, Obasanjo has a capacity for mischief to achieve his goal.
“Half way into the tenure of President Goodluck Jonathan, a man who sees nothing good in anybody, except himself, Obasanjo, started trouble making by naming presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
“First, it was Governor Sule Lamido as president and Governor Rotimi Amaechi as his Deputy! A respectable Lamido, a founding father of PDP, was being urged to fight PDP.
“Obasanjo lured most PDP governors in the North into rebellion against the PDP to destroy the platform that gave all of them relevance, including himself. The hate mood in the North for this election against Jonathan was such that, any candidate from the North would have won the election.
“The anger was that power must return to the North. Nigerians can see that rebellion against one’s own and betrayer of one’s party doesn’t pay.
“Governor Aliyu Babangìda of Niger State, who led the rebellion against Jonathan and the PDP, lost his election to the Senate and also lost his state,” Owie said.
Continuing his statement, the former lawmaker congratulated Nigerians and Goodluck Jonathan over the peaceful elections. He thanked God for annulling the various doomsday prophesies uttered against the country prior to the elections.
“I congratulate Nigerians for their commitment to democracy and particularly, congratulate President Goodluck Jonathan, for choosing to go the ‘Way of The Cross’, by quickly conceding defeat in this election which averted the impending chaos that would have enveloped the nation.”
Owie took the opportunity to call on PDP members across the country to wake up so they can all rebuild the party.
“When Our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified and buried on the Good Friday, nobody, apart from the mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, knew that Christ would rise from the grave on the third day. PDP shall rise again,” he said.
