Osita Okechukwu, Director-General, Voice of Nigeria (VON), says contrary to claims by the PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, that he stopped the third term tenure elongation plot, it is actually President Muhammadu Buhari that led the stoppage.
He quoted Atiku as telling lawmakers that: “During my tenure as vice-president, I developed a very intimate relationship with members of the National Assembly and it was that relationship that enabled us to stop the third-term or the life Presidency attempt by President Obasanjo.”
Okechukwu said Atiku joined the struggle at tail end, but to claim he stopped it was less than honest and farther from the truth.
Okechukwu was reacting to the statement credited to the former Vice President, when he met with some members of National Assembly on Sunday night at Abuja that he stopped the third term bid.
Okechukwu countered the claim, saying that Buhari, more than any other Nigerian, both dead and alive, should be given the credit for simulating the movement which botched first, One-Party-System and secondly, the obnoxious third term plot by PDP behemoth.
Recalling events that led to killing of the idea, Okechukwu stated: “The road to stop the third term was long and tortuous.
“In fact, it started when Atiku was still in charge and in the comfort zone of the Aso Villa. He joined the race after he fell out of favour, following his botched attempt to snatch the presidential ticket from his boss, President Oluesegun Obasanjo in 2003.
“It seems Atiku is adept at reversing history, because he did same in advancing reasons why he breached the PDP’s Constitution and subsisting rotation convention.
“A breach which is divisive and capable of rift between north and south, as many patriots will frown if Atiku, a northerner succeeds President Buhari a northerner.
Many will rate it unpatriotic, unpresidential and contrary to rotation of 2007 and 2015.
To substantiate Buhari’s eminent role, Okechukwu stated that “many of us were observers when ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo had almost driven Nigeria into One-Party State, prelude to 3rd Term gambit.
“This bid was stopped by Buhari, who, in a thunderstorm fashion, strengthened the defunct All Peoples Party (APP) by his way 12 million Vote-Bank scored in the 2003 presidential election.”
The APC foundation member recalled how late Chuba Okadigbo celebrated Buhari’s entry into APP in 2002, adding that Okadigbo proclaimed then that this was the man who had the capacity to stop Obasanjo’s plan to institute One-Party-System in Nigeria.
Okechukwu, therefore, advised Atiku to concentrate on his presidential aspiration to further divide Nigeria, rather than weaving alternative realities about past political events in Nigeria’s political history.
“Has Atiku forgotten how he aided Obasanjo to hurriedly drop Solomon Lar of blessed memory as Chairman of the PDP? Has Atiku forgotten how the duo did not allow Lar to celebrate the victory of the nascent party he led to victory in crucial general elections?
“Has he forgotten how they went ahead to cripple both defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD) and APP, all in a bid to institute One-Party-System, as a prelude to third Term?” Okechukwu queried.
“Can one who breached the constitution of his party and rotation of power between north and south, be a unifier? Okechukwu asked.
He commended Buhari for working tirelessly to bequeath Nigerians with enduring legacy of free, fair and transparent elections.
