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Barely a week after President Muhammadu Buhari’s declaration for re-election in 2019, the forces against Buhari’s re-election as President of Federal Republic of Nigeria and ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are gaining traction as the split members of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Social Democratic Party are now reuniting, seeking former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s blessings and those of other statesmen to boot out Buhari and APC in 2019.
The forces against Buhari’s re-election regrouped in Abeokuta, Ogun state capital on Tuesday when Olu Falae, National Chairman of SDP, the political party that welcomes split influential members of PDP such as Jerry Gana, former Minister of Information; Tinder Adeniran, lost chairmanship candidate of PDP; Rufai Ahmed Alkali, former National Publicity Secretary of PDP, among others, visited Obasanjo and held an hour secret meeting with the former president.
The closed-door meeting for which journalists were barred by armed policemen, was also attended by Doyin Okupe, Special Adviser, Public Communication to former President Goodluck Jonathan and Southwest chieftain of Accord Party, who arrived at the scene of the secret meeting almost 30 minutes the meeting had begun, as well as former chieftains of PDP at the state level, including former chairman of the party in Ogun state, Joju Fadairo; former two-term candidate of PDP, Gboyega Nasir Isiaka; former commissioner for information, Shina Kawonise, among others.
It will be recalled that Olu Falae, a core member of National Democratic Coalition and former Presidential candidate of Alliance for Democracy in 1999, went to the poll against Obasanjo’s PDP, and before now, he was one of the strong critics of the former President, but the campaign against Buhari’s re-election seems to have reunited them as both elder statesmen are now joining forces other Nigerians, irrespective of political party affiliations, to unseat Buhari and ruling All Progressives Congress.
Stepping out of the secret meeting which was held at the Penthouse located on top of Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), ex- President Obasanjo, who had earlier assumed the position of a tour guide for his entourage within the Presidential Library, suddenly stepped backwards when he noticed that
some journalists were approaching to ask questions, quickly made a u-turn and went inside to evade the media men, telling Falae that “I leave you to them (journalists)”.
But, former Permanent Secretary during Obasanjo’s military regime and Secretary to the Government of Federation during Ibrahim Babangida Military regime, stepped up to talk the waiting journalsists, saying he was in Abeokuta to exchange views with the former President as it affects the affairs of the Nation ahead of 2019 general elections.
Recalling how he worked closely with Obasanjo in 1977 and 1979, Falae said secret meeting centered on efforts to eliminate the threats and danger facing the country, just as he insisted that President Buhari had failed in its primary responsibility of securing the nation and he did not expect President Buhari to seek a re-election because of the state of the nation and his personal health.
He said, “I have come to see former President Olusegun Obasanjo who was my boss when I was the Permanent Secretary in the Presidency when he was Military Head of State. I have come to see him about the affairs of Nigeria. The affairs of Nigeria are far greater and far larger than the political ambition of any person, so, I have come to seek views with President Obasanjo on the affairs of Nigeria.
“Once upon a time in 1977 and 1979, I worked with him when he was the Military Head of State, I was the Permanent Secretary, working with him and we did many things in those days to advance the course of Nigeria.
“And the way things are in Nigeria, I felt I should come back to see him, to exchange views with him and see if we can make any contribution towards the elimination of threats and danger that face Nigeria.
“I am sure that most if not all right thinking Nigerians would see the need for all of us to work together to ensure that there’s a change, a good change, a beneficial change, a progressive change in 2019.
“We want a change from massive unemployment which we have now; a change from continual harassment and killing of people by Fulani herdsmen; a change from the fears of Boko Haram and bombing threats across Nigeria; a change from a situation where farmers are afraid to go to their farms; a change from the riots that are going on all over the place because of frustration and loss of hope; a change from the present situation of depression of failure and revival of the economy of Nigeria.
“We all know that the present government has not succeeded, they haven’t done well, the primary responsibility of government is to protect the lives of the citizens, this government is not doing so, people continue to be killed and slaughtered everytime, any government that can not stop that, has failed.
“President Buhari is a friend, once upon a time, I raised his hands in Adamasingba (stadium) in Ibadan because he said he would restructure Nigeria, it’s not a personal matter, the truth is that he hasn’t done well and I was hoping that he himself would look at the situation, as a very honest and right thinking person, and do himself a favour and all of us a favour that in the light of what has happened and given the state of his health, he is not going to recontest but he’s not doing so.
“What I am taking away from here is a confirmation that most Nigerians are united in wanting a change for the better, in doing whatever is possible to ease out President Buhari for his own sake and for the sake of Nigeria.”
RAZAQ AYINLA, Abeokuta
