Former Aviation and Transport Minister, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, on Monday, hailed the exit of the former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, from the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), saying that with his exit, ‘a huge yoke has been lifted off the  necks of the PDP.”

Speaking with newsmen in Abuja, on Monday, Chief Babatope, a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party, declared that ‘‘Obasanjo leaving the  PDP has come as a happy and welcome development. With Obasanjo’s exit, a huge yoke has been lifted off the  necks of PDP”.

He said: ‘‘I congratulate the PDP for being patient in dealing with former President Obasanjo’s offensive utterances against the party without embarking on wild and unproductive conclusions.”

According to Chief Babatope, ‘‘Though, Obasanjo is a hard fighter, his exit will have no effect of any kind on the PDP. The PDP will, by God’s grace, win the March 28 and April 11 elections.”

Also reacting, former Education Minister and Deputy Director-General of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Chief Tunde Adeniran said “there is nothing special about Chief Obasanjo leaving the PDP. Mind you, as people are leaving the party, more and more people that will add value to the party are coming in, we have nothing to lose.”

According him, ‘‘we cannot force anybody to stay in the party. Since he had decided to go, so be it. That is his personal choice. It would have been better for him to stay in the PDP and contribute his own quota to the growth and development of the party. Now that he has gone, we wish him goodluck and PDP will be waxing stronger.”

This came just as the leadership of the party kept mute over the development all through Monday, as none of the members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), was willing to speak on the matter.

Though, the national publicity secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, was out of the country, several calls and text messages to the national secretary of the party, Professor Wale Oladipupo, remained unanswered as of press time.

However, one of the national officers of the party told the Nigerian Tribune in Abuja, on Monday, that it was the national secretariat of the party in Abuja that directed the Ogun State chapter of the party and Obasanjo’s Ward 11  in Abeokuta North Local Government Area of Ogun State to expel him from the party in accordance with the constitution of the party.

According to the source, ‘‘Obasanjo’s exit is not new to us because the leadership of the party, over the weekend, had directed the Ogun State chapter of the party and his ward to take necessary disciplinary action against the former president with immediate effect. He saw it coming that was why he said he was quitting the PDP. His ward officials, out of the respect they have for him, went to his house to have discussions with him when he announced his exit.”

In his reaction, the PDP BoT Secretary, Senator Walid Jubril, said ‘‘if I were him, I would not behave the way he did. There are procedures of leaving the party. He was the chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party and with his position; he should have followed the procedures.”

According to him, ‘‘there is nothing to celebrate there, it is not worth it, that is his palaver, not our own. As he left, millions have come to the party, many  people like former Vice President Atiku Abubakar have left before now. We are facing our transformation agenda for the people of Nigeria.

“Obasanjo should have a rethink and do the right thing by following the procedures of the party which gave him the platform to become the country’s president for eight years,’’ he stated.

Also, following the decision of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, a stalwart of the party in Oyo State, Alhaji Adebisi Olopoenia, has described the action as immature.

  Olopoenia, while speaking with the Nigerian Tribune on Monday, stated that aside the fact that Obasanjo’s action was immature; he took the decision because he did not succeed in his bid to control President Goodluck Jonathan from his base in Ota, Ogun State.

“Obasanjo also endorsed Buhari thinking Jonathan will succumb to political pressure from him. As soon as he discovered that Jonathan was not in any way ready to succumb, that was when he began to attack him.

“It should now be obvious to the All Progressive Congress (APC) that Obasanjo’s endorsement of Buhari has no meaning as he will still do what he did to Jonathan to Buhari.”

His exit sad, but we remain focused —PDP
Leon Usigbe Adn Jacob Segun Olatunji-Abuja

The national leadership Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Monday, said it was sad over the decision of former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, to withdraw his membership of the party.

In a statement issued by the national publicity secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, in Abuja, the party said it had carefully examined the circumstances and the reasons adduced for “this unfortunate decision.”

It added that “while we concede to the inalienable rights of every citizen to hold opinion and to decide who to associate with, we are, however, deeply saddened that Chief Obasanjo, a revered leader of our party, our first presidential standard-bearer, whom the PDP offered the platform to rule our nation for eight years, could decide to abandon this party at this critical point in time.

“This is especially as Chief Obasanjo, who was also the chairman of the highest advisory organ of the PDP, the Board of Trustees (BoT), discountenanced all pleas by elders and leaders of our great party with regard to his reservations on certain issues within our fold.

“Many Nigerians are still bewildered as to what manner of provocation could have led a former president to lose his composure and go to the extent of tearing the membership card of the party that he once led.

“Indeed, the PDP is hugely at loss as to how the decision and action of the former president who had enjoyed the benefits of being elected to the highest position of leadership will assist in deepening our democracy and stabilising the polity.

“It is our considered opinion that no matter the provocation, a states manly disposition from a person of Chief Obasanjo’s status could have encouraged our citizens and help in stabilising system.

“Finally, we direct all our members across the country to remain focused on our campaigns and not to be distracted on this issue,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation (PDPPCO) has said while Obasanjo was free to leave, “he did not have to spit in their faces by publicly tearing the party card.”

In a statement issued by the director of media and publicity, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, the PDPPCO said “watching our party membership card being torn up whilst President Obasanjo was standing there and smiling was painful and tragic.”

Ogun PDP expels him
Olayinka Olukoya-Abeokuta

The Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expelled former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, from the party.

This came about an hour after Obasanjo formally announced his intention to dump the party.

Addressing newsmen at the party’s secretariat in Abeokuta was the state chairman, Mr Adebayo Dayo, who said Obasanjo was expelled based on anti-party activities.

Dayo noted that the alleged anti-party activities of Obasanjo were unbecoming of a “highly celebrated party man.”

He added that the former Board of Trustees (BoT) chairman of the party, with this development, had lost all rights, privileges and respect accorded him by the party.

Dayo said: ‘‘Following series of unabated anti-party activities unbecoming of a highly-celebrated party man engaged in by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the totality of the executive, leaders and members of the PDP family in Ogun State, hereby state categorically as from today, Monday, February 16, 2015, that Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo stands expelled and excommunicated from the party, thereby losing all rights, privileges and respect of our teeming party members.

“The general public, especially the media, are to take note that whatever Obasanjo does or say must no longer be seen from the prism of a PDP leader.

“Indeed, he seems to have lost all sense of proper behaviour expected of a man who previously used and abused the opportunity provided him by the party.

“His ward 11 Abeokuta North Local Government has earlier sent in a letter dated February 12, expressing serious concerns at his numerous anti-party activities and uncomplimentary utterances targeted at the leader of the party, President Goodluck Jonathan,” he said.

PDP won’t miss OBJ —Anenih
Leon Usigbe-Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will not miss the exit of former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, from the party.

This was the position given by the chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Tony Anenih, when asked to react to Obasanjo’s action of tearing his party membership card by State House correspondents in Abuja, on Monday.

Anenih, who was first to succeed Obasanjo as the BoT chairman, but later reclaimed the same post from the former president, said Obasanjo had the right to join whatever party he liked.

Asked to react to Obasanjo’s action, Anenih said: “He has the right to leave any party and he has the right to join any party. He is a Nigerian.”

Asked again whether the PDP will miss him, he retorted: “Why should we miss him?”

When pressed further to say whether Obasanjo’s exit was a loss to the PDP, the BoT chairman said: “To us leaders it is not a loss.”

Former president’s action childish, self-serving —South-West PDP
Sam Nwaoko-Ado Ekiti

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-West has described former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s tearing of his membership card of the party as “childish, self-serving and cruel.”

According to a statement by the PDP chairman in the zone, Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe, the party said it would not miss Chief Obasanjo, adding that “instead of turning himself into a masquerade, dancing naked in the market place, Obasanjo should be honest enough to disclose those selfish demands he made from President Jonathan, which the president declined.”

Ogundipe noted that “Obasanjo ceased from being a member of the PDP since last year. He only formalised his exit from our party today (Monday) and we in the PDP are relieved now that we no longer have a mole among us.

“In the first instance, he has never contributed a dime to the PDP, a party that made him president. Rather, he has promoted strife and rebellion among members for his own selfish interests.

“It was his selfishness that caused us the governorship election in Ogun State in 2011 and it was his high-handedness that led to the exit of key members of the party. We are, therefore, happy that he has finally bid us farewell and we will not miss him.”

His exit good omen for PDP —Fayose
Sam Nwaoko-Ado Ekiti

Ekiti State governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has described the exit of former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a good omen to the party.

Fayose, in a statement on Monday, in reaction to the dumping of PDP by the former president, said “Obasanjo’s exit is good riddance to bad rubbish.”

According to Governor Fayose, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, “his departure is inglorious, we will never miss him.”

Fayose said “Obasanjo’s tearing of his PDP membership card was a vindication of his stand that the former president should have been shown a red card by the PDP a long time ago, and added that “now the PDP can sleep with two eyes closed, because the lion among our brethren, the tormentor of Nigeria just departed from our party to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).”

The governor said the former president was “a man without honour who has been the major problem of the PDP,” claiming that “tearing his membership card was to save him from imminent expulsion.”

Mimiko faults OBJ’s postulations
ONDO State governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, on Monday, faulted former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s postulation on the reason behind the postponement of the general election.

Mimiko, while speaking with journalists in Akure, the Ondo State capital, said the available evidences on ground, knocked out the former president’s postulations on the shift of the election.

According to the governor, the election was postponed not only on security ground, but noted that most of the voters would have been disenfranchised if the election was not postponed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He explained that a greater percentage of voters from the South-West region would have been disenfranchised; saying only 52 per cent of voters from the region had collected their permanent voter cards (PVCs), while a greater percentage had obtained same in the Northern region.

Mimiko said: “What is the evidence on ground? It is when you place the evidence on ground side by side with the postulations that you will see that the postulations cannot hold.

“Talking about the South-West, let’s put the security reason aside; let’s look essentially at the possibility of disenfranchising some voters in the region, because as of February 5, the record that Professor Attahiru Jega gave at the Council of State, was that in all the geopolitical zones, the South-West scored the least in terms of people who have collected PVCs. While the average in the North-East is 77.8 per cent, the South- West was 52 per cent.

“As a matter of fact, it was only the South-West that had below 60 per cent.

Mimiko said he wondered why some people who claimed to be protecting the interest of the South-West region would see the postponement as otherwise, while the region had been short-changed in the scheme of PVCs distribution.

The governor, however, expressed optimism that the people of the South-West region would vote “handsomely” for President Jonathan in the presidential election based on the achievements recorded by the president during his first term in office.

Mimiko said that Jonathan won in the South-West states in 2011, despite the fact that the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) had no governor in the South-West region then, saying “now Jonathan has two governors in the South-West and I keep telling people that the South-West is politically-sophisticated and nobody can run away from that fact.

“If you want to get the support of the South-West, it must be based on substance; it must be based on your political antecedents and records. It must be based on empirical evidences,” he said.

Group calls for OBJ’s questioning
Collins Nnabuife - Abuja

Executive Secretary of the Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency, Ola Oluwasanmi, has called for former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s questioning by security agencies, over recent comments in the media attributed to him.

Oluwasanmi, who described Obasanjo’s comments as “divisive and inflammatory and capable of causing public unrest,” called on the State Security Services and the Nigeria Police to question the former president’s pronouncements.

The pro-democracy activist, while addressing the press in Abuja, berated Obasanjo for comparing President Goodluck Jonathan to Mgbabo, saying “such a comment was not expected of a statesman he claims to be.

“In the interest of national unity and sustenance of our hard-earned democracy,  it will be only right and safe for the State Security Services and the Nigeria Police to swing into thorough investigation of these divisive and inflammatory comments which are capable of causing unrest in the nation,” he appealed.

According to him, the prediction of a coup by Obasanjo should not be taken lightly, because as a retired General, he may be privy to or part of some plot to unseat the Jonathan-led government.

He thus pleaded that the retired general be questioned by the relevant authorities to forestall the collapse of law and order, which may culminate into the predicted coup.

While decrying the level of desperation of the former leader to get back into limelight, Oluwasanmi advised Obasanjo to conduct himself in a manner worthy of an elder statesman he was supposed to be and portray some level of nationalism, especially at a time like this, when the nation needed unity the most.

He also exonerated President Jonathan from arm-twisting the electoral umpire, while commending the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for postponing the elections after viewing the security situation as in-conducive.

He said Professor Atahiru Jega had acted in the best interest of the nation and would be remembered for that.

Source: Tribune