Obasanjo Explains Why He Tore His PDP Membership Card

In the aftermath of former president, Olusegun Obasanjo‘s controversial departure from PDP, many are still wondering why he left, and most especially, why he tore his party membership card.

In an interview with Premium Times, Obasanjo revealed answers to the aforementioned questions.

He stated that some leaders of the party led by Surajudeen Oladunjoye, the chairman of the ward, had visited his Abeokuta residence, as they were concerned about his refusal to be active in the party. They reportedly told Obasanjo that due to his reduced participation in party affairs, they had lost a sense of direction. They also told him that the party’s leadership in the state was planning to expel him from the party.

Obasanjo quoted the ward chairman who reportedly stated “You are our leader and it is you we are following. You have remained a card-carrying member of the the party. But since you became angry with the party we have lost sense of direction and now we are hearing that they want to expel you. If they expel you, where do we go? What do we do?”

He recalled that in response to Oladunjoye’s questions, he said: “Nigeria is our own. If the issue is the party, I will not choose the party at the detriment of Nigeria and I will fight for Nigeria even at the detriment of the party. I will rather surrender my membership of the party so you people can move on politically.

If you people’s worry is that I’m a card-carrying member of the party and I’m not showing you people direction and you are worried that I’m neither here nor there, this is the card; you can keep it, you can burn it or you can tear it, do whatever you want to do with it.”

Obasanjo stated that it was at that point that he handed over his membership card to Oladunjoye, and told him to do whatever he wanted to do with it. Oladunjoye subsequently decided to shred the card.

The former president also expressed that he does not regret his actions.