Is Obasanjo’s Coalition A Threat To APC, PDP?

The newly formed Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CMN), convened by former President Olusegun Obasanjo has been greeted by varied reactions by Nigerians.

Obasanjo had in an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari advocated for the formation of a Coalition for Nigeria Movement, an independent movement, aimed at moving Nigeria forward.

He advised President Buhari against seeking reelection, despite calls by his supporters to do so.

The former president explained that the coalition is not a Third Force but a popular socio-economic movement working towards replacing the present leadership in the country with competent hands.

“This movement is not about personalities but about platform and system. Our system so far has not given us what we must have, and for the first time, we (CNM) are building a platform from bottom up,” Obasanjo said.

As a follow up to the letter that has continued to divide opinions, depending on which side you are, former Governors Olagunsoye Oyinlola of Osun state and Donald Duke of Cross-River state were among many notable politicians and youth leaders from across Nigeria who came together, last Wednesday, in Abuja to launch the new movement.

The CNM, which was formed to enable “a transition from where we are to where we ought to be” however said, “it isn’t a political party yet.”

Many are of the opinion that their agenda may not be feasible, as their membership is made up of politicians from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Some on the left also believe that the new movement was a strategy by former President Obasanjo to rule Nigeria again.

However, others have already thrown their weight behind the new movement, insisting that the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party needed to be removed from government.

Reacting on Sunday, National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, said the new coalition was not a threat to the party’s victory in the 2019 general elections.

Secondus stated this in Asaba, the Delta State capital, during a reception organised by the Delta State chapter of the PDP ahead of the meeting of the National Working Committee of the party and governors elected under the party’s platform.

The PDP chairman said Nigerians are prepared to massively vote out the APC government in the 2019 elections, adding that the PDP is not losing sleep over the emergence of the coalition movement.

He said, “We vowed not to repeat the order of imposition, and we have reassured our leadership and our people that we will devolve power down to the states so that they can take responsibilities and make sure that whatever names that are submitted would not be changed.

“I believe that they would soon come back, those who have left, and there is fear in the country, and very soon, you will see political tsunami that even the members of the ruling party would be coming en-mass to the PDP.

“The new coalition will never be a threat because we are a solid political party founded by our founding fathers. We are solid on the ground, and I believe that they are a threat to the other parties and not our party.

“The Buhari administration is a colossal failure, and the entire country is aware of this.”

He called on all aggrieved members to return back to the party, while urging other members to embark on massive soul winning.

The APC on its part is yet to fully tackle the letter. But its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi said the ruling party would respond at the right time.

“The situation is that APC does not have a response at this time,” he said.

“Maybe if we are given the opportunity to study the letter more closely, we will have a response.”

Abdullahi added that the party had only “relied on what is being circulated in the media.”

“I will not be able to react to any content of the statement until we have the opportunity to study it.”

Not deterred by the party’s non-response, the National Leader of the APC, Senator Bola Tinubu, and former governor of Edo State, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, attacked Obasanjo, saying he lacked the moral rectitude to ask Buhari not to seek reelection.

According to Tinubu, Obasanjo was playing politics, arguing that the former President does not mean well, if not he would have met with the president to talk about the issues he raised in the letter.

He said, “I believe that would have been the conversation between retired military heads of state. They have unfettered access to each other either through the Council of State or any other means; he could see the current President privately.

“They both had the same background. He (Obasanjo) was also his senior in the army. I think Obasanjo was playing politics with the public letter. That is all I see. They also met at the African Union meeting too. He has a way of discussing with the President any time he wants.”

On the coalition championed by the former President, Tinubu said it was not yet time to speak on the matter.

Meanwhile, Oshiomhole said Obasanjo was not in the right position to give such advice because he was not a known adviser to Buhari.

Speaking with State House correspondents shortly after meeting with the President behind closed doors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Oshiomhole said, “I’m not sure when I see the list of the (President’s) advisers, that President Obasanjo is one of the advisers.

“I also recall with respect that the day President Obasanjo was inaugurating some of his advisers, he did say that anybody who is his adviser can advise him, he will make his own decisions. I think that principle still stands.”

He said it was important for Buhari to know he had men and women who had huge confidence in his leadership ability, especially during trying times.

He said, “Nigeria was below ground level and from what you guys report that I read, we have always had challenges but never in terms of this scale and magnitude.

“What President Buhari inherited is difficult to describe. I have said so before that when you meet such a situation, your first task is to halt the drift. When you halt the drift, then you stabilise before you begin to go. There is no miracle about it.

“I don’t think that anybody who understands the challenge of nation-building, of national economic management and so on will expect that in two years you can fix in a sustainable manner all of the things that have been destroyed over 16 years before this party came into office.

“Yes, there are challenges; there are a couple of things we need to begin to do and reinforce but there is no question that a lot has begun and a lot is being done.”

For now, time bids and will reveal what is in it in the fullness of time.