PDP: Obasanjo’s advice on coalition cannot help this nation

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has disagreed with ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo on the need for a new coalition.

In a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, Obasanjo said neither the PDP nor the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has what it takes to solve the problems of the nation.

“What has emerged from the opposition has shown no better promise from their antecedents. As the leader of that party for eight years as president of Nigeria, I can categorically say there is nothing to write home about in their new team,” Obasanjo said.

“We have only one choice left to take us out of Egypt to the promised land. And that is the coalition of the concerned and the willing – ready for positive and drastic change, progress and involvement. Change that will give hope and future to all our youth and dignity and full participation to all our women.

“I, therefore, will gladly join such a Movement when one is established as Coalition for Nigeria, CN, taking Nigeria to the height God has created it to be.”

But in a statement by Kola Ologbondiyan, spokesman of the PDP, the opposition party said back in 2015, a coalition of “strange bedfellows” plunged Nigeria into this “regrettable situation”.

The PDP expressed confidence in its ability to rekindle the democratic process

“PDP maintained that repeating the old mistake of congregating political strangers cannot help our nation at this time, more so, when the few concerns raised by the former president about the PDP no longer obtain under the refocused and rebranded PDP,” the statement read.

“The PDP is now standing on a truly democratic ground that perfectly represents and reflects the hopes and aspirations of all Nigerians irrespective of their class, creed or tribe.

“That is why our great party has now, more than ever before, become a centre of the new patriotic and broad-based engagements by well-meaning Nigerians and coalitions across the board, including past leaders, in rekindling our democratic process that places priority on returning power to the people.”

The party also commended the elder statesman for asking Obasanjo not to seek reelection, describing the advice as timely and courageous.

Ologbondiyan said Nigerians have seen that the president never possessed the capacity to effectively govern the country.

“The fact is that Nigerians overrated president Buhari in 2015 but they have now seen that he never possessed the capacity and the required aptitude to effectively govern our great nation and pilot a healthy economy,” he said.

“This accounts for the reason former president Obasanjo, just like most Nigerians today, are concerned about the quality of presidential candidates to be presented by various parties for the 2019 election.

“The fact is that while the APC is already caught up with president Buhari, the PDP is open for a new engagement that will throw up the president, which our nation truly deserves at this crucial moment.”