Buhari, Obasanjo fall apart: Former president seeking return to PDP

Buhari, Obasanjo fall apart: Former president seeking return to PDP

There are indications that Ex President, Olusegun Obasanjo, who publicly ripped his party’s membership card, is scheming to return to the party through the back door as his relationship with President Muhammadu Buhari dwindles. 

The move, Pointblank News learnt, was informed by the snub from President Muhammadu Buhari ‎who, sources say have rebuffed every attempt by the multi billionaire farmer to be cozy with him. Shortly after Buhari took office, Obasanjo had made the first move with the establishment of a think tank to study critical areas of the economy and make recommendations to guide Buhari. 

The committee, which was established under the Centre for Human Security of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, studied five key areas – education, power, the economy, security and infrastructure. Not only did Obasanjo presented the report to Buhari, he also positioned and presented Stephen Orosanye to the President as a possible candidate for the post of the Secretary to the Federation, SGF. 

Spokesman Garba Shehu had, told reporters that the Vice Chairman of the committee and former Minister of Finance, Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu, presented volumes of the report to Buhari in Abuja. He said former Nigerian High Commissioner to United Kingdom Dr. Christopher Kolade, who was head of the Power Committee, gave various stages of the proposed power sector development plan to include, short term, medium term and long term solutions. 

It was however not clear if Buhari solicited the gesture, there are no signs the current president is taking any of Obasanjo’s proposal seriously. Sources hinted Pointblanknews.com that Obasanjo’s ultimate goal is to be in the good books of Buhari and evade any form of scrutiny from his administration. Sensing the seeming over bearing posture of Obasanjo, President Buhari was said to have been warned by close associates to beware and cut down on his closeness to the former President sources hinted Pointblank News that Obasanjo’s current move is to block any attempt by any group making Ex President Goodluck Jonathan the BOT chair, and use that platform to tackle Buhari. 

According to a PDP source, Obasanjo has already commenced moves with meetings with PDP governors in the south south and south east. However, a handful of them are not buying the idea due to Obasanjo’s inglorious past and how he subjected Jonathan and the party to public ridicule. Unconfirmed reports had linked ex Akwa Ibom State governor, Godswill Akpabio with Obasanjo as they say he is being used to convince others and also groom him for a future Vice presidential spot in 2019 with a northerner, preferably, Sule Lamido. 

The genesis of Obasanjo’s grudge against Buhari is not unconnected with not only the snub of him and his proposals, but also the current move against some of his trusted allies like former Governor Sule Lamido‎ and Steve Oronsaye. While Obasanjo nurses the idea of making Lamido president in 2019, he personally recommended Oronsaye for the job of Secretary To the Government of the Federation, SGF, to President Buhari. 

The EFCC has already arraigned Oronsaye, and others for alleged fraud and money laundering offences involving N1.2bn. ‎As for Lamido, the EFCC traced about N10bn to the accounts of companies of which the governor and his two sons were alleged to be directors and signatories to the account. The alleged transactions took place between 2007 and now. As Principal Private Secretary to Obasanjo, Oronsaye was believed to have been primarily used as a front to conduct his devious transactions and was the principal architect of Obasanjo’s looting of the Nigerian coffers.