Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is not yet a member of the PDP but the party will be open to him re-joining.
former President Olusegun Obasanjo
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday said former President Olusegun Obasanjo is yet to return to its fold almost four years after quitting his membership of the party.
Kola Ologbondiyan, the party’s National Publicity Secretary said the former president’s endorsement of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s presidential candidate is not an indication that he has returned to the party.
He said if Obasanjo decides to join the PDP today, a new membership card will be issued to him immediately.
He said the quest to remove President Muhammadu Buhari from office in 2019 through the ballot box transcends political parties, adding that Nigerians from all walks of life are rallying behind the PDP having realised that it is the veritable platform through which the mission can be realised.
He said: “On the issue of giving former President Olusegun Obasanjo a new party membership card, we are not there yet. Former President Obasanjo said he is a statesman. And he has not indicated his desire to return to our party. I am sure if he does it today, he will be issued a party card immediately.
“The desire to remove Buhari from power is a pan-Nigerian movement. Many Nigerians from all walks of life are eager to remove him from office because of his incompetence and because his presidency has failed Nigerians.
“So, the decision has no party bearing. It is a pan-Nigerian movement but because the task can only be achieved through a political party and because the PDP has repositioned itself, having being rebranded and reformed, Nigerians are rallying across party lines to our party in order to remove President Muhammadu Buhari from power through the ballot box.”
Obasanjo, it will be recalled, in February 2015 handed over his PDP membership card to the Ward 11 leader in Abeokuta North local government, Alhaji Surajudeen Oladunjoye and instructed him to tear it.
He said if his involvement in partisan politics would stop him from having a better Nigeria, then he is ready to sacrifice membership of the PDP and become a statesman.