Exactly 19 years after contesting against each other in Nigeria’s first
Presidential election of the 4th Republic, former President Olusegun
Obasanjo and a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation,
Chief Olu Falae, will on Tuesday meet at Obasanjo’s Abeokuta residence.
Impeccable
sources told The Punch that Falae, who is the Chairman of the Social
Democratic Party, and Obasanjo would strategise on how to bring all
third force elements under one banner.
A source, who is privy to
the meeting, said since Buhari had ignored all warnings by Obasanjo and
other ex-generals not to seek a second term for the sake of the country,
many of such political meetings would be taking place.
The
source said, “It is obvious that Buhari has failed in his three years in
office. He spent about four months of 2017 in the United Kingdom on
health grounds and still wants to run for a second term for selfish
reasons.
“He has failed to improve the lives of Nigerians but
continues to give excuses for his own failings. He has also refused to
endorse a younger person to succeed him.
“We have thus decided to
set the plan in motion for his ouster through the ballot. Obasanjo will
meet Chief Olu Falae with a view to uniting the third force and
repentant politicians from the APC and the PDP are welcome to join.”
When
contacted on the telephone, the Personal Assistant to Chief Olu Falae,
Capt. Moshood Raji (retd.), confirmed the scheduled meeting with
Obasanjo.
He, however, said the meeting was a private one and would therefore not disclose it agenda.
Speaking
with Punch on the telephone, Raji said, “It is true that Chief Falae
will be meeting with Baba (Obasanjo) but I don’t know the purpose of the
meeting because it is a private meeting.”
Obasanjo, who is the
leader of the Coalition for Nigeria Movement, had also been having talks
with the Nigeria Intervention Movement and over 30 political parties.
The
Punch had exclusively reported that Obasanjo met with a former governor
of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso; a former Cross River State governor,
Donald Duke, a former Osun State governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola,
and leaders of over 30 other parties.
Others who attended the
meeting which took place at the Protea Hotel, Lagos, included a former
President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), and
Dr. Abdujalil Tafawa-Balewa, both chairmen of the NIM.
The
former President, who has been critical of Buhari’s government, had
recently asked the nation’s youths not to reinforce failure by voting
for Buhari.
