Obasanjo denies presence at PDP event

• Says Story Aimed To Embarrass, Annoy Him

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, denied news report in the Social media to the effect that he was at a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP’s) programme at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, on Friday.

Many social media platforms had reported Friday afternoon that the former President was spotted at the Inauguration of the party’s National Convention Committee.

But Obasanjo in a release in Abeokuta, yesterday, stated that the sole aim of those behind the news was to “annoy and embarrass him.”

The release, issued on his behalf by his media aide, Mr. Kehinde Akinyemi, in Abeokuta, quoted Obasanjo; as saying, “I have told the whole world that I have quit partisan politics and that is final and anybody who tries to drag me back will fail like any man feeding mice to a dead cat.”

Obasanjo said, “Those who know me, know that I have publicly announced my quitting partisan politics and those who will believe the purported story will believe anybody who tells him that his or her mother is not a woman.”

“If I quit a party when it was alive and seemingly united, how could I go back to a now divided, fractionalised party gasping for breath?” the former President queried.

“To clear the minds of doubting Thomas’s and those behind the orchestrated news in circulation and particularly those who have been calling to ascertain what actually happened at the Shehu Musa Yar’adua centre, I must explain,” Obasanjo said.

He explained that based on invitation by the Commodities Association Stakeholders, he was at the ” Zero Hunger Nigeria” event at the Yar’adua centre at 10 am for the meeting.

According to him, the meeting commenced, but few minutes into the session, his attention was drawn to the presence of some people walking up to where he was seated. At closer glance, he recognized them to be politicians who told him they had come to greet him and he exchanged pleasantries with them, after which they left.

Obasanjo stated that he and his entourage left the venue immediately after the meeting for Lagos, adding that he was still on his way to Lagos when he started receiving calls from both far and near, inquiring about his presence at a political party programme in Abuja.

According to the release, the “photo news in circulation,” which claimed that he was spotted at a political party event is therefore mischievous.
Obasanjo said his picture in the reported news was taken while on his way out of the Centre after the programme.

The former President affirmed, “This is height of irresponsible journalism” and called for “investigation and sanction on anybody involved in order to serve as deterrent to others who may want to be used either by omission or commission to misinform the public on such sensitive issue.”