By Tony Adibe
A founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, has explained that contrary to claims by the Peoples Democratic party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, that he stopped the rumoured 3rd Term or tenure elongation plot of the then President Olusegun Obasanjo, it was actually President Muhammadu Buhari that led the stoppage.
In a statement he issued on Wednesday, and made available to NewsBits, Okechukwu stated that Atiku, characteristically, was being “less than honest” and economic with the truth of what actually happened at the time, although he (Atiku) might have made contributions upon joining at the tail-end of the struggle to halt the alleged Life Presidency plot of Obasanjo.
Quoting Atiku, who told the 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, “yes Atiku joined at tail end, but to claim he stopped it is less than honest and farther from the truth.”
Okechukwu was reacting to the above 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 3rd Term.
Okechukwu, who is also the Director General of Voice of Nigeria, countered the claim, insisting that “President Buhari, more than any other Nigerian, both dead and alive, should be given the credit for stimulating the movement which botched first One-Party-System and secondly the obnoxious 3rd term plot by PDP behemoth.”
Recalling events that led to killing of the 3rd Term plot, Okechukwu stated: “The road to stop the 3rd 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 further 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 Rt. Hon. Chuba Okadigbo of blessed memory celebrated Buhari’s entry into APP in 2002, adding that “Okadigbo proclaimed then that this is the man who has the capacity to stop Obasanjo’s plan to institute One-Party-System in Nigeria.”
Okechukwu also recalled: “Obasanjo was implementing One-Party-System he had advocated in a pamphlet as the best model for Nigeria before he became president. But Okadigbo warned that this is the trajectory of all known African Big Men.”
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.”
The DG of VON queried: “Has Atiku forgotten how he aided Obasanjo to hurriedly drop His Excellency, 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 3rd Term?”
Okechukwu further asked: ”Can one who breach the constitution of his party and rotation of power between north and south, be a unifier?” He, however, lauded President Buhari “for working tirelessly to bequeath Nigerians with enduring legacy of free, fair and transparent elections.”
