2015 election and its numerous
drama…lol!
According to report by PUNCH, a former
Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has begged former President
Olusegun Obasanjo not to abandon President Goodluck Jonathan ahead of the
February 14 presidential election.
The report has it that Daniel’s
plea came less than 24 hours after Obasanjo openly declared support for the
re-election of Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, who is a member of the
opposition All Progressives Congress.
PUNCH reports…
Daniel, while addressing members
of the Peoples Democratic Party at the inauguration of the Goodluck/Sambo
Independent Support Team in Lagos on Saturday, said Obasanjo gave the people of
the South-South region a sense of belonging by ensuring that Jonathan emerged
as vice-president in 2007 and as President in 2011.
He, therefore, begged Obasanjo to
finish what he started by ensuring that Jonathan completes his second term as
President.
Daniel said,
“Obasanjo
should finish the job he started in 2011 because a job that is half-done is not
done at all. It is the height of injustice for Jonathan and the South-South
people not to be allowed to do a second-term. We, the Yoruba people are saying
that for the reason of equity, Jonathan should be allowed for a second term and
after that, power can shift to the North.”
Meanwhile, the Presidency on
Saturday said President Goodluck Jonathan was ready at all times to appease
former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
It also agreed with the
ex-President that candidates in the forthcoming general elections should be
judged by their performance.
The Senior Special Assistant to
the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, said this in an interview
with SUNDAY PUNCH.
Okupe was reacting to a statement
credited to Obasanjo that performance, as against party loyalty, should be the
overriding factor in voting for candidates in the February elections.
Okupe said Obasanjo was correct
in his submission, which he described as statesman-like.
He said,
“Obasanjo is right. I want
Nigerians to vote for the next President based on performance. Let Buhari tell
us his performance and Goodluck Jonathan should tell us his performance. “Obasanjo
is correct; there is nothing wrong with that. That is very statesman-like of
him.
“I want my party’s candidates to
win but this election is about performance. Luckily, Buhari has been a Head of
State before, it does not matter how long he was in government. He was in
government for 20 months; Murtala Muhammed was in government for six months and
he became a hero.
“It is not an excuse that 20
months is not enough. In 20 months, Buhari showed clear attributes of indolence
and incompetence. He did not add any value to the nation. He did not achieve
anything. All he did was to be hard and harsh on people. He was busy harassing
southerners like Awolowo and Ajasin.
“If you put that side-by-side
with the performance of Jonathan, he has touched everything he met. All 24
airports have been refurbished. He has brought railway back to life. There is
substantial achievement in power. We can only go forward, we can’t come back.”
When asked whether the President
was still ready to mend fence with Obasanjo, the presidential aide said
Jonathan had tremendous respect for the ex-President.
“This President is a
liberal-minded President and he has a lot of respect for Obasanjo. He has never
hidden that. He believes that Obasanjo is his political father, no matter
whether they have disagreements or not.
“The President is ready at all
times to make peace and appease the elderly gentleman,” Okupe said.
Similarly, the national
leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party has said it will not join issues
with Obasanjo.
National Publicity Secretary of
the party, Prof. Wale Oladipo, stated this in a telephone interview with our
correspondent in Abuja on Saturday.
He said,
“Baba (Obasanjo) remains our
leader and therefore we won’t join issues with him. We will continue to work
with him and other leaders of our party in Ogun State and Nigeria to achieve
success.
“I can however assure you that
Gboyega Isiaka is poised to win the governorship election in the state with the
support of other members of our party in the state like the Minister of
Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina.”
Source: PUNCH
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