•Ex-president tells him: Form govt of people with character
All Progressives Congress (APC), presidential candidate, General Muhammad Buhari, has expressed frustration over former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s refusal to shift his support for him.
Buhari, during a visit to Chief Obasanjo’s Abeokuta home after the Abeokuta rally on Tuesday, said ‘‘We expect your understanding and support, although you insist in remaining in PDP. “I have reached a certain degree of frustration in my attempt for you to try to shift a bit but you have refused.’’
In his remarks, Buhari, solicited the support of the former president in the February 14 polls, in spite of his stance to remain in the PDP, stressing that his party would focus on economy, corruption and security.
Buhari said: “Sir, it’s a fact that you know more than all we know about the problem that we are in. But what we’ll do is: try to convince you to believe us that we are going to do better. ‘‘This vicious circle is what the APC is determined to break. Because without security, there is no way the country can settle down not to talk of living in it. So, many people, educated and uneducated, some said up to 60 per cent, will say Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gun powder.
“And then corruption; we believe that if we are able to stop corruption, a lot of resources will be available to invest in infrastructure, get the factories to reopen, get jobs, and get goods and services. So security, economy, in terms of employment, production, manufacturing, goods and services, and then agriculture will again give impetus to employment. We have to be systematic and work to make sure the vast land we have is cultivated not only to produce food, but to produce raw materials for agro-allied industries, which used to be very viable but which we allowed to die because everybody has concentrated on getting oil money. Now the oil money is dwindling rapidly; I think we better come back to our senses.
“Sir, briefly, this is what we intend to do and this is contained in our manifesto. We are not going to be inflexible the way some people accused us of doing it. We are going to be dynamic as we go along and that’s why I said we are here to seek your understanding, your support, in spite of the political card you hold.”
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo called on all political parties in the country to make their campaigns issue-based and shun trivialities.
He said this while playing host to the presidential candidate of the and other leaders of the party, including the party’s national chairman, Chief John Oyegun, former chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande, Chief Audu Ogbeh, former governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and the host governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, on Tuesday.
Obasanjo, in his usual characteristics, told the visitors that he remained a card-carrying member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Obasanjo emphasised the need for all the political parties to consider infrastructure development as one of the basic ingredients for national development.
“Let me welcome all of you. But let me, in a special way, welcome Muhammadu. Our path have crossed on a number of occasions and when I was told you are coming to Ogun State, I wasn’t sure whether you will come here or not. But I told my boys; I said, well, whatever programme we have outside Ogun State for today, let us shelve it just in case Muhammadu and his team decide to call here.
“You will remember when you decided to contest, you wrote me a letter; and I replied your letter. When you became the standard-bearer of your party, you wrote me another letter and I replied your second letter because I believe you have honoured me by writing and I should, of course, reciprocate by also responding to your letter.
“You have kindly underlined what I want everybody to remember; that I am a card-carrying member of another political party. But I have always also said that party or no party, what is paramount for me is Nigeria. And that will remain paramount as far as I am concerned. There is no political party in the world that is made up of saints and our own political parties in Nigeria will be no exception. All the political parties have saints and devils among them. But because what you are campaigning for is the votes of saints and devils to be able to win the election, I wish you well.
“I think I should say it today that I have this opportunity because I hope people will face issues rather than trivialities. On occasions like this, issues are very important. And you have mentioned three areas which are demanding issues in Nigeria today. I will just beg all of you who are contesting to add one to it; you mentioned economy, you mentioned corruption, and you mentioned security. All of you, I will beg of you to add infrastructure. It’s very important.
“You may take it as part of economy but I will take infrastructure as special and give it special attention. For all political parties that are trying to woo us to vote for them in the coming election; let’s go away from red-herring, let’s go away from trivialities, let’s face issues and tell the people of this country what we will do to deal with these crying problems of our country. Having said that, I will also say that while a party must be microcosm of a nation - and in a nation, you will have near saints, devils, rapists, armed robbers and a good party must have all these in them. But what matters is that when that party has to go into government, it must look for men and women of character. And we have them in all parties, we have them throughout the nooks and crannies of this country. Again I wish you well as you go around. I thank you for this visit. I cannot end without reminding you, even though I saw some old faces, but some of us will remain firm at least at the ward level where I am very active in my party.”
The former president described Buhari as an honest man.
He later went into a brief closed door meeting with Buhari and his entourage before they proceeded to the venue of the rally.
Source: Tribune
All Progressives Congress (APC), presidential candidate, General Muhammad Buhari, has expressed frustration over former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s refusal to shift his support for him.
Buhari, during a visit to Chief Obasanjo’s Abeokuta home after the Abeokuta rally on Tuesday, said ‘‘We expect your understanding and support, although you insist in remaining in PDP. “I have reached a certain degree of frustration in my attempt for you to try to shift a bit but you have refused.’’
In his remarks, Buhari, solicited the support of the former president in the February 14 polls, in spite of his stance to remain in the PDP, stressing that his party would focus on economy, corruption and security.
Buhari said: “Sir, it’s a fact that you know more than all we know about the problem that we are in. But what we’ll do is: try to convince you to believe us that we are going to do better. ‘‘This vicious circle is what the APC is determined to break. Because without security, there is no way the country can settle down not to talk of living in it. So, many people, educated and uneducated, some said up to 60 per cent, will say Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gun powder.
“And then corruption; we believe that if we are able to stop corruption, a lot of resources will be available to invest in infrastructure, get the factories to reopen, get jobs, and get goods and services. So security, economy, in terms of employment, production, manufacturing, goods and services, and then agriculture will again give impetus to employment. We have to be systematic and work to make sure the vast land we have is cultivated not only to produce food, but to produce raw materials for agro-allied industries, which used to be very viable but which we allowed to die because everybody has concentrated on getting oil money. Now the oil money is dwindling rapidly; I think we better come back to our senses.
“Sir, briefly, this is what we intend to do and this is contained in our manifesto. We are not going to be inflexible the way some people accused us of doing it. We are going to be dynamic as we go along and that’s why I said we are here to seek your understanding, your support, in spite of the political card you hold.”
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo called on all political parties in the country to make their campaigns issue-based and shun trivialities.
He said this while playing host to the presidential candidate of the and other leaders of the party, including the party’s national chairman, Chief John Oyegun, former chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande, Chief Audu Ogbeh, former governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and the host governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, on Tuesday.
Obasanjo, in his usual characteristics, told the visitors that he remained a card-carrying member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Obasanjo emphasised the need for all the political parties to consider infrastructure development as one of the basic ingredients for national development.
“Let me welcome all of you. But let me, in a special way, welcome Muhammadu. Our path have crossed on a number of occasions and when I was told you are coming to Ogun State, I wasn’t sure whether you will come here or not. But I told my boys; I said, well, whatever programme we have outside Ogun State for today, let us shelve it just in case Muhammadu and his team decide to call here.
“You will remember when you decided to contest, you wrote me a letter; and I replied your letter. When you became the standard-bearer of your party, you wrote me another letter and I replied your second letter because I believe you have honoured me by writing and I should, of course, reciprocate by also responding to your letter.
“You have kindly underlined what I want everybody to remember; that I am a card-carrying member of another political party. But I have always also said that party or no party, what is paramount for me is Nigeria. And that will remain paramount as far as I am concerned. There is no political party in the world that is made up of saints and our own political parties in Nigeria will be no exception. All the political parties have saints and devils among them. But because what you are campaigning for is the votes of saints and devils to be able to win the election, I wish you well.
“I think I should say it today that I have this opportunity because I hope people will face issues rather than trivialities. On occasions like this, issues are very important. And you have mentioned three areas which are demanding issues in Nigeria today. I will just beg all of you who are contesting to add one to it; you mentioned economy, you mentioned corruption, and you mentioned security. All of you, I will beg of you to add infrastructure. It’s very important.
“You may take it as part of economy but I will take infrastructure as special and give it special attention. For all political parties that are trying to woo us to vote for them in the coming election; let’s go away from red-herring, let’s go away from trivialities, let’s face issues and tell the people of this country what we will do to deal with these crying problems of our country. Having said that, I will also say that while a party must be microcosm of a nation - and in a nation, you will have near saints, devils, rapists, armed robbers and a good party must have all these in them. But what matters is that when that party has to go into government, it must look for men and women of character. And we have them in all parties, we have them throughout the nooks and crannies of this country. Again I wish you well as you go around. I thank you for this visit. I cannot end without reminding you, even though I saw some old faces, but some of us will remain firm at least at the ward level where I am very active in my party.”
The former president described Buhari as an honest man.
He later went into a brief closed door meeting with Buhari and his entourage before they proceeded to the venue of the rally.
Source: Tribune
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