The Ota, Ogun State hilltop mansion of former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was a Mecca of sorts yesterday as some political leaders paid the former leader a visit. Senate President David Mark, former governor of Lagos State and All Progressives Congress (APC) leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, Polycarp Nwete and Mrs Josephine Anenih, were some of those who visited the former president.
Tinubu who arrived the former president’s house when the PDP team led by mark, told journalists after a nearly two hours meeting with Obasanjo that he had come to seek his opinion of some of his (Obasanjo’s) boys who are vying for the presidency on the platform of the APC.
The former governor may have been referring to former vice president Atiku Abubakar, who has declared to run for the presidency on the APC’s platform, as well as Kano State governor, Musa Kwankwaso, who is also said to be eyeing the number one position. Atiku was vice president under Obasanjo for eight years, from 1999 to 2007, while Kwankwaso also served as defence minister under him.
Speaking with newsmen, Tinubu lamented that Nigeria had been unfortunate with clueless leaders, resulting in poor development, infrastructural decay and general lack of development. He emphasised the need for a change in leadership, to those with ideas to salvage the country from the present economic doldrums and general inertia.
He further stated that Nigeria though is 54, remains a toddler because basic things of life such as food, water and good roads are alien to the citizens of the country.
Asked why he was at the former president’s home, Tinubu said as former president, Obasanjo has influence in some areas of the nation’s political sphere, adding that his party the APC had successfully done a merger with many branches and there was the need to talk and find out from the former president his thoughts on the Nigeria he left behind and the Nigeria of the future.
“I am here to pay homage to the former president. We want his observation on his former boys who are running for presidency in our party. What can he say about them? Nigeria at 54, we are still an invalid baby in the incubator, that is the truth. We are blessed with human capital, we have not developed it.
“We have army of unemployed graduates, stampede, maiming and injuring themselves to find their daily needs. We have not grown up.
“We don’t have good leaders, the leaders are clueless, the followers, we appear sadistic, we like being punished, because if you work for an honest system, I don’t see why a president will remove subsidy on onshore and win an election in the second week, to me, there is need for a common sense revolution,” Tinubu said.
Speaking further, he emphasised that, “common sense revolution of security overhaul, common sense revolution in job creation and better condition of living of all of you. It is high time we took our country back from the mismanagement, corruption and replace the clueless leaders with purposeful, revolutionary leaders that will rehabilitate this country and fix everything.”
“It is a rescue mission, we must take our country back from mismanagers,” Tinubu added.
Also speaking with journalists, the Senate president also said they were at the home of the former president to seek counsel as a former leader on various issues.
“You know that Baba is the leader so, we have come to discuss with him and raise some basic issues that affect both the party and the nation at large. They are discussions that would move this nation forward you know his passion for this nation is unquantifiable so, we have really had a good discussion about it.”
Mark further said, “we are working as a party to make sure we put everybody who wants to be on board on board and congresses are coming up so I think this is normal.”
Meanwhile, sources close to former president disclosed that the visits of the political heavyweights have to do with horse trading over next year’s general election as the two leading political parties.
“Well, their visits to Baba Obasanjo have to do with next year’s presidential election, both PDP and APC are asking for Baba’s support because of who he is in the country. The Senate President, (David) Mark is a political son of Baba (Obasanjo) and he is a close ally of President Goodluck Jonathan who could not have come on his own because of what he wrote to him in his reply to Baba’s letter. Since that time, both of them have not been relating very well and the likes of Senator Mark know what this could mean for the party and I am sure Asiwaju Tinubu might have gotten wind of their coming and came to discourage Baba from supporting Jonathan. This is why I called it political gymnastics,” a source said.
Another source also said the visits were based on power intrigues and political permutations.
“I have not gotten the full details of what transpired but it may have to do with horse trading. PDP needs the Southwest and Tinubu is influential but Tinubu belongs to the opposition party and he is also interested in who wins where in the zone. Not only that, even within the APC, Tinubu may want to know who Baba Obasanjo would like him to support among the trio of General Muhammadu Buhari, Kwankaso and Atiku Abubakar. If APC picks a wrong candidate, Baba would not have anything to do with him. You see how complex.
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Source: http://leadership.ng/news/386047/2015-want-obasanjos-view-boys-tinubu
