Hours after former President Olusegun Obasanjo quit the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and publicly tore his membership card to formalise his leaving the party, the party’s Ogun State chapter announced that it had expelled the former President from the party.
Obasanjo had torn his card and asked that the party to remove his name from the party’s register.
The party said it could no longer re-accept Obasanjo since he publicly disgraced the party.
Speaking to newsmen on Monday in Abeokuta, the state capital, the state PDP Chairman, Bayo Dayo, said Obasanjo was no longer a member of the party since he had lost all privileges and respect of other party members.
“The totality of the executive, leaders and members of PDP family in Ogun hereby state categorically as from today Monday 16th February, 2015 that Obasanjo Aremu Olusegun stands expelled and excommunicated from the party thereby losing all rights previous, privileges and respect of our teeming party members.”
We Won’t Miss Obasanjo
In his reaction, Tony Anenih, the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, said Obasanjo’s action showed he is gone from the PDP.
While speaking with journalists at the State House, Abuja, Anenih restated that the party would not miss the former president and that he is free to join any political party he wanted.
Anenih said: “He (Obasanjo) has the right to leave any party, and he has the right to join any party; he is a Nigerian.
“Why should we miss him?…to us leaders, it is not a loss.
Obasanjo’s exit better for PDP — Fayose
Ekiti State governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose described the exit of the former President of Nigeria, from PDP as a good omen to the party, saying: “Obasanjo’s exit is good riddance to bad rubbish. His departure is inglorious, we will never miss him.”
Fayose, who said Obasanjo’s tearing of his PDP membership card was a vindication of his stand that the former President should have been shown a red card by the PDP a long time ago, noted that: “now the PDP can sleep with two eyes closed because the lion among our brethren, the tormentor of Nigeria just departed from our party to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).”
The governor, who reacted to Obasanjo’s tearing of his PDP membership card through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, said the former President was “a man without honour” who has been the major problem of the PDP and that “tearing his membership card was to save him from imminent expulsion.
“Obasanjo shouldn’t just tear his PDP membership card; he should relinquish the ownership of Bell University, Obasanjo Farms, Obasanjo Presidential Library, and other financial benefits he got during his eight years as president,” Fayose said.
“Obasanjo’s formal exit from the PDP at this time will further enhance the chance of the party in the presidential election because Nigerians will now see that eight out of the 16 years that the APC claimed was a waste was spent by the party because Obasanjo and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who ruled Nigeria from 1999 to 2007 are now members of APC.
“If there is anything negative about PDP, Obasanjo contributed 50 percent. His eight years tenure is part of the 16 years that the APC people claim is a waste. And now that Obasanjo and Atiku are members of APC, it can be said that APC ruled Nigeria from 1999 to 2007 and the party should be ready to accept the liabilities of Obasanjo and Atiku’s government.
“Therefore, Obasanjo’s exit from the PDP is a confirmation that there is victory ahead for our party and mark my words, President Jonathan will be re-elected, Nigeria will have a clean departure from its sordid past, which Obasanjo and Buhari represent and take a giant leap into a promising future.”
