Open Letter: Obasanjo Withdraws from PDP
In another letter to the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed that he is considering withdrawing from the activities of the party both at the state and national level.
The letter, dated 7th January 2014 and copied President Goodluck Jonathan, portrayed Obasanjo's frustration at the way the PDP is run in the south-western zone of the country. Obasanjo was particularly irked by the appointment of Buruji Kashamu as Coordinator of the southwest zone of the party, considering that Kashamu is a criminal wanted abroad.
A copy of the three-paragraph letter obtained by huhuonline.com and believed to have been received by National Chairman of the PDP, Bamanga Tukur on 8th January 2013, reads: 'While I believe that a good and truly national political party must be a microcosm of the nation in its membership, made up of all sorts of characters from near-saints to near-Satan, I also believe that on no account should a known habitual criminal that is wanted abroad to face criminal charges levelled against him be extolled as a political leader in a respectable and wholesome nation-building political party.
'Buruji Kashamu has been so extolled in PDP in South-West geopolitical zone, which I personally find unsavoury. Politics played by any national political party must have morality, decency, discipline, principles and leadership examples as cardinal practices of the party. I have attached here recent documents that clearly indicate that your extolled PDP Zonal Leader in the south-west zone of Nigeria and an indigene of Ogun State is, to say the least, not a credit to the party as a member, let alone being a zonal leader.
'Since I stick in my practice of party politics to the hallowed and cherished principles enunciated above, I take this opportunity to let you know that while I continue to remain a card-carrying member of PDP, I cannot and I will not subscribe to a wanted habitual criminal being installed as my zonal leader in the party; a criminal for whom extradition has been requested by the US government. In the meantime, I will consider withdrawing my activity with PDP at local, state, zonal and national levels until the anomalous and shameful situation is corrected'.