Obasanjo is Nigeria’s number one emperor –Shuaibu Oyedokun

Says ex-president on his way back to PDP
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has been described as a hypocrite who bastardised Nigeria’s democracy. Making this declaration during an interview with SATURDAY SUN, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Board of Trustees, Chief Shuaibu Oyedokun described Obasanjo as a dictator and anti-democratic element when he was in office.
Oyedokun who was reacting to a statement credited to Obasanjo recently in which the former Nigerian leader described state governors as emperors said: “Obasanjo is the number one emperor. He was a dictator and tyrant when he was in office. He was even more terrible than some of the state governors” The PDP leader spoke on this and other issues in this interview with TUNDE THOMAS. Excerpts:
AS an elder and one of the founding fathers of the PDP, what is your reaction to the intra-party crisis rocking the party?
What is happening in the party should not come as a surprise. This kind of crisis is to be ex­pected after the party’s loss of the presidential election.
You know the PDP was in power for so long, and this is the first time we are finding our­selves outside power. So, the crisis is expected. Meanwhile, everything is being done to bring the situation under control. But the National Working Commit­tee, NWC and the party’s Board of Trustees are holding a series of meetings to chart the way for­ward. PDP will not die. It will bounce back stronger. We are on top of the situation.
What is your assessment of the ongoing war against corruption by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration?
It is a welcome development, provided it is well-coordinated and provided there is no evidence of witch-hunting. It is a war ev­erybody will like to support, but then the war should not be seen to be selective or to being seen as an instrument of persecution of political opponents.
For instance, I was not happy about a report that security opera­tives allegedly broke into the of­fice of the former vice-president, Namadi Sambo, without follow­ing due process.
To me, this war against corrup­tion seem to be tilted against the PDP and perhaps, out of fear of persecution, some PDP members are defecting to the APC. To me, that development is not good for our democracy. For democracy to survive, it requires the presence of a vibrant opposition.
My advice to our members in the PDP is that they should all re­main in the party. We should all join hands to rebuild the party. There is no place like home. For APC, where they have gone to, they will be regarded as strang­ers.
I’m even surprised that people like Jim Nwobodo joined the ex­odus. This is a man of principle; a man who is supposed to be the last man standing in the PDP. He should have remained within the PDP to defend whatever allega­tion anybody has against him.
How do you see the alleged involvement of some elder­statesmen like Tanko Yakassai, Tony Anenih and Olu Falae in the 1.2 billion dollars arms fund scandal?
Sincerely speaking, we have been unfair to these highly re­spected Nigerians. How would they know the source of the money that the National Security Adviser was giving to them? It is not possible.
They were given this money for election and other issues relating to national security, so how do you expect them to ask about the source of the money? They are eminent Nigerians that have paid their dues and this is why I spoke earlier about PDP mem­bers being witch-hunted. How many members of the APC have been picked? Are they telling us that APC members are saints while PDP members are villains?

For the full story, check The Sun newspaper.