EXTRA: How Zero Hunger landed Obasanjo at PDP committee inauguration

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo was at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja on Friday to attend a meeting of the Africa-Nigeria chapter of Zero Hunger only to discover that the centre was also hosting the inauguration of the national convention committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Tunde Arosanyin of Zero Hunger made the clarification in a statement on Saturday, after the confusion generated by pictures of Obasanjo with leading members of the party he publicly denounced in 2015.

Obasanjo had arrived the Zero Hunger event when PDP leaders were alerted to his presence, prompting the likes of Ibrahim Mantu, former deputy senate president and Ahmed Makarfi, national caretaker committee chairman, to rush out to greet him, sparking reports that the former president was attending the PDP event.

However, Arosanyin has now clarified Friday’s events, saying: “He came for zero hunger in Africa-Nigeria chapter meeting with commodity Association stakeholders.

”At closing, some PDP members came to greet him at the boardroom of the hunger meeting venue.”

Obasanjo gave up his PDP membership card at his Abeokuta home in February 2015, saying he no longer belonged to any party.

Scoffing at the rumoured plan to expel him from the party, he said: “We’ve been trying to run away from a mad man but he pleads we wait for him at the other side of the river.”

After PDP members from his ward, led by Sunmonu Oladunjoye, said they had come to confirm if he had been expelled from the party because of his public criticism of then President Goodluck Jonathan, Obasanjo said: “Where I am standing is that Nigeria belongs to everybody including babies.

“We must not allow anybody to destroy it wherever they come from, whatever they have. If they destroy it, it becomes our burden to our children and incoming generation…

“They said they want to expel me from PDP… I have not been told but I have my ears on ground. We’ve been trying to run away from a mad man but he pleads we wait for him at the other side of the river.

“I have told you before that I became president on the platform of PDP. Once I leave PDP I will not join any party. I‎ will only be a Nigerian. I am ready to work with anybody regardless of political affiliation.

“Why would some people say they want to send me away? They don’t need to bother themselves. Here’s your membership card, take it.”

He the handed the card to Oladunjoye, whom he instructed to tear it to pieces.