When The Time’s Ripe, Obasanjo Will Support Jonathan’s Re-election, Says Fmr Associate

Mr. Nabena Okubotin, the National Publicity Secretary of the defunct Obasanjo Leadership Forum (OLF), has said the peace moves being championed by leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would reconcile President Goodluck Jonathan and former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. Both leaders have not seen eyeball- to-eyeball on national issues for some time with their often publicized verbal darts at each other an indication of a romance gone sour. But Okubotin, who is also the coordinator of a pro- democracy association, ‘We the People of Nigeria’, said after all is said and done, Obasanjo would have reasons to support Mr. Jonathan’s second term ambition in office. In an exclusive interview culled from THISDAY at the weekend in Abuja, Okubotin said haters of President Jonathan were those expecting him to perform magic. “All those criticizing President Jonathan will still fall in line and one of those is former President Obasanjo. Obasanjo, I believe, will support Jonathan in 2015; he is just looking at the games. “I have been with Obasanjo in OLF. He is a very prudent person who takes time to do things and will not do anything that will scuttle his statesmanship, people might misread him because the game is still up, people might say he is antagonizing Jonathan but in the long run, he will say nobody around is better than Jonathan, he is still the person I want,” Okubotin said. He also said the leadership of the ruling party would do everything possible to reconcile aggrieved members of the party in order to present a formidable front at the 2015 polls. “What you are talking about is intra-party politics, and what the party leaders are doing is to bring cohesion into the disaffection that has been taking place, they will work together and foster unity which is what restructuring the PDP is all about,” he added. He however, noted that the opposition merger alliance under the banner of All Progressive Party (APC), would not be underrated by the PDP just as he prophesied doom for the party which he said was formed out of personal aggrandizement. “Opposition is always a threat because they are opposed to whatever you are doing; we will not take them for granted. But what I see in the APC is that sooner than later they will all fall apart because most of them are gunning for their personal aggrandizement and we will see them fall apart,” he added.