OBJ has not endorsed any candidate —Fashawe •... He can endorse whoever he wants —Atiku •Picks APC nomination form font size Print Email 14.Oct.2014 DISQUS_COMMENTS Jacob Segun Olatunji-Abuja and Kolawole Daniel-Abuja Rate this item1 2 3 4 5 (0 votes) Ahead the 2015 general election, a close associate of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Chief Oyewole Fashawe, on Monday, said the former president had not endorsed any candidate in any of the political parties as being speculated in some quarters . Chief Fashawe, who made the clarification on Monday, while speaking with newsmen, said ‘‘Baba Obasanjo is not commending or condemning any candidate standing in the forthcoming elections in Nigeria, contrary to insinuations from certain quarters, I can confirm this anywhere.” According to him, ‘‘Rather, the elder statesman is to be working tirelessly behind the scene to ensure a secure and rancour-free atmosphere for free and fair elections devoid of blood-letting and wanton destruction of lives and property.” Fashawe, who is the Asiwaju of Owo in Ondo State, disclosed that he was unequivocally talking on behalf of the former president whom, he said, “sees the current gladiators in all the parties as his political children and associates; hence he would not endorse one over the other no matter the amount of pressure from any quarter.” “Baba has not endorsed anyone and has not condemned anyone. A statesman of his stature and pedigree can only pray and work towards peace and progress in Nigeria, Africa and the world at large. Those trying to exploit his friendliness to gain political advantage over other contenders are being unfair and doing so without Obasanjo’s approval,” he declared. It will be recalled that in the recent time, stalwarts and chieftains of both the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, have at different times visited the Otta and Abeokuta home of Obasanjo, to woo him and solicit his support for electoral success at the polls in 2015. Meanwhile, Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, on Monday, said former President Olusegun Obasanjo had the right to endorse whoever he wanted for the 2015 presidential election. Atiku said this in Abuja, at a news conference organised by his media organisation to intimate the public of a policy review summit coming up at the Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta on October 27. Debunking claims that the three-day conference was a ploy to get Nigeria’s ex-president to endorse him for the next general election, Atiku said the choice of Abeokuta for the conference was because his media organisation felt each time they went to Lagos, the people’s daily routine was usurped. He said: “Abeokuta is a more serene atmosphere for thinking and suits our purpose. It is not a strategy for endorsement. “Obasanjo is in the PDP; he has a right to endorse anyone he wants as president but you will agree with me that the ultimate choice lies with the electorate.” Meanwhile, former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, on Monday, picked his expression of interest and nomination forms for President on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead the party’s presidential primaries slated to hold in Abuja. The former vice president, who came calling at the APC national secretariat, told the party National Working Committee, NWC led by its National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun that he had paid the sum of N27.5million for expression of interest and nomination form for presidential ticket as directed by the party. Alhaji Abubakar is the first Presidential aspirant of the opposition party to picked his expression of interest form and nomination form for President on the platform of the party.
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 07:09:16 +0000
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