Ahead of the 2023 general election, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has advised the national leadership of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to consider the pedigree of anyone aspiring to lead the country in 2023 before picking its presidential candidate.
Speaking while hosting members of the PDP National Working Committee, NWC, at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, OOPL, on Thursday, Obasanjo said that the party should also look at the manner of emergence of the President of the United States of America, USA, from the two dominant political parties.
The PDP NWC members, led by the PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, had visited the former chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, BoT.
Recall that in a dramatic twist of events, on February 16, 2015, Obasanjo ended his 17-year-old membership of the party which afforded him the opportunity of becoming the first military Head of State to rule Nigeria as a civilian President, when he publicly tore his PDP membership card, even though he refused to join any other political party.
In July, he refuted claims that he was floating a new political party, insisting that he was done with politics.
A reliable source, who pleaded anonymity and was part of the Thursday meeting, revealed that the PDP leaders appealed to the former President not to “siddon look” during this critical time.”
The source said, “We went to him and told him not to ‘siddon look,’ as things are getting worse in the country. We also reminded him that the PDP gave him the platform that made him the President and also served as its chairman of BoT. Therefore, we asked him not to be unbothered about happenings in the party and the polity.”
CompassNG gathered that though the former President reiterated his earlier position of no interest in belonging to any political party for now, he was said to have counselled his visitors on the need to settle their rifts and focus on the task of producing a nationally-accepted presidential candidate in 2023.
The source disclosed that Obasanjo expressed gratitude to the PDP chieftains for the visit, informing them of the needed to think about how to face the future as a party and concerned Nigerians.
The source added, “Obasanjo said we should go and study how presidents emerge in America. He said leaders emerge through processes and that those leaders must have seen, learnt, practised, and taken part in leadership processes. He said in the US, the people followed a particular pattern.
“He said we should not pick anyone just because such a person has money. He also said in America, they follow a particular pattern. He said the presidential candidate in the US emerges either from the Congress, from the Board of Governors, or he is an established businessman.
“He also told us about the way the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is elected. In all, he said someone who knows the country, the system, is knowledgeable in foreign affairs, economy and security, among others, should be allowed to lead the nation.”
Obasanjo was also said to have expressed his worry about the spiralling debt profile of the country, which according to sources, he said was getting out of control, with borrowings from all over the world.
Meanwhile, the former President was said to have held closed-door interaction with PDP National Chairman, Secondus, after excusing others, when discussion steered towards the crisis rocking the party over moves by some leaders and governors, led by Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, to either shorten the tenure of the Secondus-led NWC or deny the members opportunity of contesting for second term.
Recall that a crack had emerged in the PDP NWC two weeks ago, leading to the resignation of some members and calls for Secondus’ resignation by some committee members.
But PDP leaders, comprising governors, BoT members, and National Assembly caucus, however, intervened, where the PDP leaders agreed that the party’s national convention should hold in October to elect a new leadership.
Insider sources said that although nobody could say what Obasanjo and Secondus discussed, in their private meeting, which lasted for about seven minutes, but they revealed that it centred on how to resolve the crisis and also have a crisis-free national convention.
A source volunteered, “Nobody could say what the two men actually discussed as none of us at the general meeting were called in when the two men met.”
CompassNG also gathered that the former President met the Ogun State chairman of the PDP on how to strengthen the party in the state.
When contacted, Secondus confirmed the meeting with the former President, but refused to give details of the meeting.
He only said that the former President “is the father of the nation and a man respected globally, who was elected as President of Nigeria on the platform of our party.”
Meanwhile, indications are rife that the PDP national convention may not hold in October as proposed by the party’s National Executive Committee, NEC, at its last peace parley organised by the BoT.
Investigations showed the party has pending state congresses in at least nine states, including Lagos, Oyo, Plateau, Adamawa, Kebbi and Osun states.
This was just as the party was also yet to conduct congresses to fill vacancies in the North-West zone.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Wike argued that the party’s current NWC was incapable of leading the party to victory in 2023, citing the clamour among party members for a change in its composition in order to inject fresh blood.
A source said confided in ComoassNG, “Holding a national convention either now or in October without carrying out due diligence concerning congresses in the affected states and the zone means that the states will not have delegates to the national convention. This is dangerous and could trigger another round of court processes that could affect the party in future.”
It was also gathered that there was no way officers elected would take office without the end of the tenure of the current NWC members, whose tenure expires on December 9.
A member of the party’s BoT also said it might be difficult to hold the convention as suggested, adding, “Governorship election is coming up in November this year. Then, we need to give the Independent National Electoral Commission 21 days’ notice before we can even hold any congress. We also have to do that (inform INEC about holding states congresses) in the affected states as well. And the party’s constitution does not favour or allow having a caretaker committee.”
