Obasanjo denies plan to form new political party

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, debunked media reports that he was planning to float a new political party ahead of the 2023 general elections.

He said he remained an elder stateman and no amount of effort by anyone would bring him back. Obasanjo said those behind the rumour should have their brains checked at the psychiatric hospital.

Obasanjo, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media Affairs, Kehinde Akinyemi, in Abeokuta, said he was not surprised about the report because some people were making efforts to drag him back into their political games.

The former President described the report, published in a national newspaper (not The Guardian) as false and unfounded, insisting that he had no plan to float a new political party now or in near future.

Obasanjo said he would continue to make himself available to whoever wants to seek his opinion, view or advice on any issue or matter.

The former President said the only party he belonged is “the party of Nigerians facing insecurity, unemployment, hunger, poverty, and various other challenging issues.”

Obasanjo, who is currently in Kabul in Afghanistan as a guest of President Ashraf Ghani, said: “The fabricated story hardly comes as a surprise because he has, for some time now, observed with bewilderment the efforts by some people to drag him into their political games.

“In my part of the world, when you say goodnight in a place, you do not go back there and say good evening. The person who reported that may need to visit Yaba left (psychiatric hospital). And those who believe it can believe that their mothers are men.

“I am done with partisan politics but by my position in Nigeria and in Africa and without being immodest and indeed in the world, my door must be opened and it is open to any individual or group of individuals who want to seek my opinion, view or advice on any issue or matter and I will respond to the best of my ability without being part of that individual or group.”

“If anything, Obasanjo’s political party today is the party of Nigerians facing insecurity, unemployment, hunger, poverty, and various other challenging issues. It is the party of Nigeria, which must be saved, kept wholesomely united in peace, security, equity, development and progress.

“Let those who want to use the backdoor to force Obasanjo to return to partisan politics respect his choice to remain a non-partisan statesman.

“On his part, the former President will continue to perform his role as a statesman focused on providing counsel, support, or solutions wherever possible in Nigeria, Africa and indeed the world.”