NIGERIA’S former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, on Tuesday, again reiterated that vibrant opposition remained the only antidote for the survival of the nation’s democracy.
He dropped this hint shortly after a closed door meeting with the national caretaker committee chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Markafi, while the latter paid him a visit in Abeokuta.
The former president insisted that party on government would get away power with impunity if there is no strong opposition party in the country.
He said, “I have said that publicly before and I will say that again. For our democracy to thrive and to continue to be strong, we need strong party in government and strong party in opposition. It has to be that way, otherwise the party in government will get away with impunity and that is not good for democracy.”
Obasanjo was in a closed door meeting with Markafi and the party’s caretaker chairman in Osun State, Alhaji Sarafadeen Ishola, national vice chairman of the party in the Southwest, Eddy Olafeso, leaders of the party in the state.
When asked about on the outcome of his meeting with Markafi, Obasanjo said the former was just on a visit to his former colleague.
“Chairman has come to greet me and I greet am. So, now that we have greeted ourselves, chairman will be going. You, gentlemen and ladies of the press can now go and leave the chairman alone”, Obasanjo said in pidgin English.
The former president said he would never get involved in partisan politics again, and that is commitment and passion to the “Project Nigeria” would never wane until he breathed his last.
Obasanjo said, “Before, I was in PDP but not now. God forbid, when a dog vomits, it goes back to eat its vomit. No, I’ve said no partisan politics for me again and no partisan politics for me again.
“But Nigeria is my passion until death do us part. And anything that concerns Nigeria, the good of Nigeria, you’d see my involvement.”
However, members of the party who had converged on the party secretariat to give the national chairman a rousing welcome expressed their disappointment over the failure of Markafi to turn up.
Dayo denied any move by the party faithful to attack the chairman if he had had a stopover at the secretariat.
He added, “Only yesterday night, we heard that out national caretaker chairman is coming to Ogun State. We quickly sent messages across the 20 local government areas, telling them to join us in welcoming the great leader from Abuja.
“Because we learnt that in his itinerary, he’s going to visit our Baba Obasanjo and our office here is a stone’s throw to Baba’s house. If somebody is going to Baba’s house, we will see him. So, we assembled party men so that we can welcome the national leader and tell him our grievances about what is going on with the Ogun State executive.
“But unfortunately, we did not have the opportunity to see him and all the party members did not have the opportunity of welcoming him to Ogun State.”
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