Buhari's Endorsement: "we will meet on the field", Jonathan campaigners tell Obasanjo

The Campaign Organisation of President Goodluck Jonathan has described the endorsement of the Presidential Candidate of the rival All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari(retd.), by former President Olusegun Obasanjo as unfortunate.

It nevertheless said the former president should know that he had only one vote.

The campaign organisation was reacting to the endorsement of Buhari by the former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the ruling party in Kenya on Tuesday.

Speaking on Buhari, Obasanjo said the former Head of State was aware of the challenges of Nigeria today and was qualified to rule the country again.

He said he had confident that Buhari would be able to tackle corruption and insecurity effectively if elected

The open endorsement of Buhari by Obasanjo is to the detriment of Jonathan, and the ruling party and Presidency are said to have been jolted by the ex-president’s action.

Though the former President has never hidden his disdain for Jonathan because of the incumbent’s alleged ineffective leadership, it was gathered that the Presidency was of the opinion that Obasanjo would not openly speak on the issue.

Director of Media and Publicity of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, however, said in Abuja on Wednesday that Obasanjo was entitled to his opinion.

He said, “I have to confess to you, I have not seen what ex-President Obasanjo said. I have just been told and I haven’t read the text.

“As far as I am concerned, (ex)President Obasanjo is entitled to his opinion. He is a respected member of our society, and we have immense respect for him. This election is about one man, one vote and we should restrict our choices and decisions to ourselves.

“I believe it will be a very sad day indeed, if going by what we all know about General Buhari and what General Obasanjo knows about General Buhari that he will still go out of his way to endorse him for anything and I will be very surprised.

“But we will meet them all at the polls; we will meet on the field and by the grace of God, at the end of it all, those that have endorsed Buhari, of course, they know that President Goodluck Jonathan has come of age and Nigerians will make their choice and we shall win.”

On the laying of siege to the residence of s former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu by soldiers, Fani-Kayode said it was not true.