Obasanjo stated this on Thursday during a visit to his Hilltop residence by the presidential candidate of the National Conscience Party, NCP, Dr. Martins Onovo. He said since he left office his pre-occupation had been the promotion of the country’s interest.
In the words of Obasanjo: “My first pre-occupation is what is best for Nigeria. Nigeria first, party second and any other thing, third. I can sacrifice anything in the interest of Nigeria and I can sacrifice my own life for Nigeria.
“People may come up and say Nigeria doesn’t belong to anybody, I believe that is a stupid saying. Nigeria belongs to all of us because anything that doesn’t belong to anybody, anything can happen to it. For me, Nigeria belongs to all of us and we are stakeholders in this country.
“I can’t sacrifice my life for any party’s interest but I’ll sacrifice my life in the interest of Nigeria.”
He frowned at the situation where people would keep quiet and watch things degenerate in the country.
While commending the late legal icon, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, the founder of the NCP, he said though some people might not agree with his brand of activism, he was a veritable voice of conscience.
He said, “Let me hasten to wish you every success in your endeavour and also pay tribute, as I have done in my recent book, to the founder of your party, Gani Fawehinmi. I believe he was a genuine social critic. Though you may not agree with all he said or how he went about it but he was definitely a genuine social critic.
“So if you, as the flag bearer of the party, believed that you should follow on his footsteps of integrity and genuine critical and committed analysis and criticism of the situation in the country, I think nobody will fault you.”
He advised NCP to accept the outcome of the election, if the election was free, fair and uninterrupted. He said that people should not necessarily be in government before they could contribute to development.
He said, “In this part of the world, we have a saying that if people sleep and they put their heads on the same pillow, they are in danger. That means there should be some people that should be critically looking and watching and also able to speak up. They should speak up, no matter what others may say.
“Let me make my own position clear, I am a card carrying member of the PDP, because that is the party on which platform I became the President of this country.
“If what you’re trying to do is in the best interest of Nigeria and Nigerians accept and vote for you, who I am I not to accept you as President of Nigeria, I will. But in this your campaign, try to inform, woo and to convince the electorates but whatever may be the outcome of the election after you have done all that, once the election is free and fair and undisturbed, uninterrupted, then you have to accept the verdict of the people.”
He said, “Let me hasten to wish you every success in your endeavour and also pay tribute, as I have done in my recent book, to the founder of your party, Gani Fawehinmi. I believe he was a genuine social critic. Though you may not agree with all he said or how he went about it but he was definitely a genuine social critic.
“So if you, as the flag bearer of the party, believed that you should follow on his footsteps of integrity and genuine critical and committed analysis and criticism of the situation in the country, I think nobody will fault you.”
He advised NCP to accept the outcome of the election, if the election was free, fair and uninterrupted. He said that people should not necessarily be in government before they could contribute to development.
He said, “In this part of the world, we have a saying that if people sleep and they put their heads on the same pillow, they are in danger. That means there should be some people that should be critically looking and watching and also able to speak up. They should speak up, no matter what others may say.
“Let me make my own position clear, I am a card carrying member of the PDP, because that is the party on which platform I became the President of this country.
“If what you’re trying to do is in the best interest of Nigeria and Nigerians accept and vote for you, who I am I not to accept you as President of Nigeria, I will. But in this your campaign, try to inform, woo and to convince the electorates but whatever may be the outcome of the election after you have done all that, once the election is free and fair and undisturbed, uninterrupted, then you have to accept the verdict of the people.”
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