National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a former
governor of Lagos state, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has described the man
he spent years fighting and trying to outmaneuvre, former president of
Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as “a tutor of dignity and boldness.”
Tinubu said today at Obasanjo’s 78th birthday event that during the
period when he and the former president had political differences,
Obasanjo kept him on his toes.
He praised Obasanjo as a true nationalist and said that the issues
they had arose out of passion for perfection by the former president and
not emotions.
He further said while giving a goodwill message at the event which
held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, OOPL, Abeokuta that
“it is true that there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies in
politics, what we have is permanent interest.”
“I am honoured to be here to celebrate with our ‘Papa’. It is just a
rare opportunity to pay a tribute to a nationalist, a teacher, a
disciplinarian, a tutor in dignity and boldness.
“Once upon a time, some nine years ago, I went to the Villa and the
President (Obasanjo) asked me to walk out and I abused him on the pages
of newspapers. I told him that he is a tenant here, because this house
belongs to every Nigerians. If I have come to Ota, you can send me away.
“How best could we celebrate and honour truly a man who have kept me
on my toes. Whatever happened between me and Baba Obasanjo, I want to
say that it was a gratitude to me because, he kept me on my toes.
“I took him to court as a President and one day we met at the court
gate and he said, you Bola, you took me to court and I said No Baba, I
don’t take you to court but I took Nigeria President to court and he
said get away. I told him right there that I will not get away until I
get what I want.
“All his actions and inactions during that time, I now find them not
to be emotional but a passion for perfection. Obasanjo is an open book,
when you read a chapter, you open another chapter and if you drink from
that cup of wisdom, it is a great thing,” Tinubu disclosed
Commenting on the action of the former President to have shredded his
PDP membership card, he maintained that Obasanjo’s action remains one
that was done basically for the love of his fatherland.
“PDP is an elephantiasis and only APC can cure it, it will be cured.
If you drink APC without alcoholic beverages, it will cure it. The day I
saw Baba instructing that shredded umbrella card to be torn, I asked
why, but later I got to see that it was about patriotism and love for
the country.
“What would Obasanjo want from Jonathan or the PDP that he has not
gotten, but he puts all that aside and believes in the unity and
cohesion of this country. In order to free himself from that bondage of
partisanship, he decided to remain a statesman by his action,” the
former Lagos State governor stated.
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