Former President Olusegun Obasanjo

Claims to the contrary notwithstanding, former President Olusegun Obasanjo did say at a state Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] stakeholders’ meeting in Yola last Sunday that his former vice president Atiku Abubakar vigorously lobbied him to support Atiku’s planned return to the party of which he was a founding father.

Daily Trust had reported last Monday that Obasanjo told the Adamawa PDP leaders a story about how Atiku begged and lobbied him to support his return to PDP. The next day however, the Atiku Campaign Office in Abuja issued a statement saying Obasanjo had called Atiku on telephone and denied ever making those remarks in Yola. A transcript of the tape recording of the proceedings, which Daily Trust  obtained, however confirmed that the former two-time ruler of Nigeria did make those statements and many more.

The relevant part of the transcript of the Adamawa PDP stakeholders’ meeting, which took place inside the Banquet Hall of the Government House  in Yola last Sunday, March 29, runs as follows:

Governor Murtala Nyako: Ladies and gentlemen, it is a privilege and an honour to request anyone who has a sensible question to ask our great, beloved and former president, former Head of State, former GOC, former Minister of Works and Housing, the founder of Otta farm, the initiator of NAPEP, the initiator of AU and ECOWAS. If you have any question to ask, please you can ask. We prefer a question that relates to reality, because we are not here on political associations but practical governance. If you have any question you may wish to ask.

Question: My name is Musa Kamale, Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism.  My question to the special guest of honour is, we are very happy to hear from no other person than the chairman, Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Sir, we have our son of the soil, Vice President Atiku Abubakar.  Today he is no longer with us in this party.  Rumors are rife that he wants to come back to the PDP.  As party faithful we are not concerned or rattled, but sir, if somebody runs away from a house and the persons left behind rebuilt that house to a state -of –the- art and from nowhere, that person who had earlier ran away wants to stage a comeback, could that be possible? As the chairman Board of Trustees sir, what is the position of this hearsay that the former Vice President wants to comeback or doesn’t want to come back to the PDP? Thank you very much sir.

Obasanjo: Since we left government we couldn’t talk. Last year I think, when we had Shehu Yar’adua’s annual lecture, that was the time we met. We were in the same government, we were in the same party, and we formed the same government and the journey continued before things changed. The story of how he came to see me is in phases. About six months before he came to see me, there was a lady who works with him.  Her niece is a friend of mine for a long time. She came to me, saying that Daddy, may I seek your indulgence? Atiku wants to see you. I told her to see me later on it. So I thought that was the end of it. About a month or so after that, the Governor of Osun State came to me and said one of his colleagues, a former governor, pleaded that the former Vice President wants to see me.

I said, for what purpose? Because one, he is no longer in our party. Two, we are no longer in government, so for what purpose? He said well, that is his desire. I said, has he talked to you that he wants to see me? Has he sent a formal correspondence to you? He said no. Then I asked him to go and find out. So he found out and it’s true, that they wanted to come and see me. I said he should let me think about it. While I was thinking about it, a distinguished son of this state, a very very distinguished person, one of the few Nigerians that I cherish and respect very much, came to me and said, “have you reconciled with the former Vice President,”  because he wants reconciliation between former Vice President and the former president. I said it is not inimical to reconcile either with me or anyone else, but I said let him go and find out if the man himself really wants reconciliation. After finding out, he came back and I said well, if you see it’s worthy and by virtue of my status in this country, my house is open for everyone. About a week after that, the same person came back again, and I told him what I earlier said.

After sometime I said well, there is room that the former VP may want to join our team. When I checked on the day he was billed to come the following morning, I prepared for his coming, then I told some people. I wanted the former Governor of Nasarawa State to be around so as to have a witness or official from the party. So, on that aspect they came with Governor Oyinlola. So he visited me but I don’t know the purpose of this visit, which I thought it was on 2011, but he said no.

After pleasantries, he said he came to discuss issues of common interest and importance, but I said to him I cannot be threatened or intimidated because what you like, I don’t like it. What I believe in, Atiku doesn’t believe in it. I believe politics is a way of service, he believes it should be commercialised.

We are far different; I said there is no personal thing. If you are befriending my wife I will sue you because you offended me, and if I’m befriending your wife you can also sue me, you can say I offended you personally. Then I joked, [I said] even on the issue of women, your taste is different from mine. So, we cannot trust you.

Later, I told him that if you want to come back to PDP there are ways to follow, does he want? He told me yes, he wants. Then I said if you want to come back to the party, you should begin where you begun before, at your ward, and now you are not an ordinary man who has left the party. You left the party at the particular time and you know what to do. Look, you can say there is Alex Ekwueme’s report which says there should be reconciliation. Even the president is aware, but why should I be the one that will be sent? So, when I went to Katsina for marriage of the president’s daughter, I didn’t know that the former Vice President will be there, until someone told me that Atiku wants to see me. Hence he kept phoning the governor of Osun State and the governor kept pestering my life. The person often calls. Then I told President that your brother is pestering my life, please do something about it, because I don’t like it, to the extent that I had to change [telephone] lines on three occasions.

I told him that the PDP’s door is open.  Do what is right, it doesn’t matter who you are, or what you are, the beginning of membership ticket is at ward level and you should reconcile with the ward first. Ticket of PDP membership is at ward level. Thanks very much.