CLARK TO OBASANJO: YOU INSTIGATED THE PDP CRISIS

What an auspicious time to ruffle the feathers and ofcourse what a time to pull the rug off the feet of the hard fighting ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, whose posturing in the past week suggest one committed at restoring peace to the beleaguered Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Former Information minister and outspoken leader of the Ijaw nation, Chief Edwin Clark hit the former President accusing him and some serving governors elected on the platform of the ruling Party of conspiring under the aegis of Governors Forum to frustrate the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.
In a letter entitled “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH” addressed to the Governors Forum, Clark who is President Jonathan’s tribesman and close confidant accused Obasanjo of trying to instigate crisis in the PDP because Jonathan has refused to allow him control his administration from his Ota farm. Part of the letter reads:
“We witnessed the bastardization of the party by the former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and the former national chairman of the party, Sen. Ahmadu Ali, who for their own interest frustrated all the founding fathers of the party and party faithful by de-registering most of the founding members of the party.
“Chief Obasanjo installed himself as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees [BOT], of the party as a former president of the country. With all of these actions, the party’s supremacy was punctured and destroyed. Members and all concerned reluctantly accommodated this unilateral attitude of the president in office at that time, while he got himself consolidated for the period he served.
“Concurrently, the Governors in the various states also assumed the same posture and in all circumstances seized the soul, the heart and disciplinary features of the party.
“The motto of the party which is justice, unity and progress has been grossly undermined by the forum, it is rendered irrelevant. There is no more justice in the party due to the greed and corrupt attitude of the heavy weights of the party who made money using the party. Today they are using the same money to destroy the party.
“There is no unity in the party, it is fragmented everywhere. For instance, in Ogunm state where a former president of the nation under the flagship of the party and until recently the BOT Chairman lost election in the state due to factionalisation of the party.
“Currently, there are three factions of the party in the state. One is headed by the former president of the nation, the next one is headed by Chief Gbenga Daniel, a former governor of the state, and the third is headed by Buluji Kasimoh. The Secretariat of the party in that state is today under lock and key, yet this former president is parading himself all over the country as an indispensable ruler and party leader, causing confusion rather than sitting back home as a former president and political leader whose home should be a political pilgrim.
“The party’s progress in the country is accidental based on past glory and also due to the presence of petty, tribal and ineffective opposition parties.
“The slogan of the party has been turned upside down. The PDP members at the grass root no longer control the party and the power of the party no longer belong to the people. The people have lost the power reluctantly accepting the slogan ‘power to the governors’.
“The overbearing influence of the Governors forum in the polity has become a matter of serious concern. The activities of the PDP Governors forum in particular have become very disturbing and calls for urgent correction as it is fast eroding the authority and the supremacy of the party and posing a serious threat to our democracy.”
Source: Leadership