The sack of the entire South West executive committee of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), the removal of National Auditor, Bode Mustapha, and ex National Secretary, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, all ex President Olusegun Obasanjo henchmen, was not a move by President Goodluck Jonathan to strip the former President of influence and control, Presidential adviser Ahmed Gulak has said .
Gulak who spoke in Abuja also described the claim by Niger Governor, Babangida Aliyu. that there was an agreement between Jonathan and northern Governors not to run after 2015, as spurred by inordinate ambition of Aliyu.
The National Working Committee (NWC) recently sacked the south west leadership of the party, and removed Mustapha, blaming a court order. The same excuse was made for the removal of Oyinlola. To rub salt in the injury, the NWC recognized the anti Obasanjo faction.
The PDP cited three court cases and said in removing Mr. Mustapha, it was complying with the court rulings.
“The National working Committee of the Party met on 14th February 2013 and gave careful consideration to the issues and decided that, in line with respect to the rule of law which is a cardinal principle of the present administration, the PDP as a law abiding party, will immediately comply with the said judgment,” Mr. Metuh said.
Pointblanknews.com gathered that Jonathan’s men, wary of the influence of Obasanjo and the ex-President’s consistent attack, decided to act, and the court rulings gave them am ample opportunity.
But Gulak who spoke on African Independent Television (AIT)’s programs ‘Focus Nigera’, insisted Jonathan had no hand in the sack of the Obasanjo loyalists, and would not plot to humiliate the ex- president.
He said “ the Jonathan that I know will not accept to have any difference or political conflict with anybody talkless of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. In the PDP, we are family members. In a family, we are to disagree. I’m telling you there is no crisis as such between Goodluck Jonathan and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.”
According to him “ Those that have been edged out now cannot be said to be Obasanjo loyalists because everybody is loyal to Chief Obasanjo. Not only in the south-west but in the whole of the country.
Obsanjo is a father and he is playing the father symbol in Nigeria. Don’t localize him. Don’t regionalize him. Somebody will be using obasanjo’s name only for his personal interest. Maybe because he disagree he would want the whole world to believe that it is because he is loyal to Chief Obasanjo or he is Obasanjo boy.”
“Obasanjo is a father of this country and he is playing the role of a father in the PDP. So don’t localize or regionalize him. He is a Nigerian leader and a leader in PDP. So whether you are from Jigawa or Taraba or Kogi or Anambra, we all respect Obasanjo as a father.So nobody should use Obasanjo’s name because he is aggrieved in any party. But that is the price of leadership. People must understand because some people are so selfish and self centred”
“ we are all Nigerians and if you want to pursue your own ambition, like I always said, you have the right. You have the right to pursue your ambition to be the President of Nigeria. But you don’t have to concoct stories to justify your ambition.
On the agreement, Gulak said “I’m telling you without any iota of doubt and all sense of responsibility that, there has never been any agreement or pact signed by the president that he is going to run for only one term. He has never told me about it and I have never heard about it. The governors said they have the agreement, let them bring it. I know as of fact that there is no such agreement”, “President Goodluck never signed such a pact” but only gave Nigerians the general guarantee of one-man, one- vote and that no one has the political strength to intimidate the President to run away from his constitutional right of contesting the next elections, should he decide to do so.” He added.
On the 2013 budget controversy, Gulak said, National Assembly and the Executive, he said
“All we are saying is that at the end of the day, politically speaking, both the Executive and the Legislature will be on the same page. And the budget will be passed and its implementation will commence”,