#THINKNIGERIAVOTEJONATHAN No Permanent Foes: Obasanjo’s Unexpected Presence at Jonathan Daughter’s Wedding 11 Jan 2015(THISDAY NEWSPAPER) By Jaiyeola Andrews in Abuja Should there be an award for President Goodluck Jonathan’s recent most vitriolic critic, former President Olusegun Obasanjo would be the undisputed winner. This is thanks to his incessant gibes at the incumbent president’s style of governance as well as his accusations to the effect that the latter was trying to destroy the country’s democracy. Also, his controversial book, titled My Watch, was no less unflattering in its depiction of President Jonathan. But the Owu chief’s appearance on Saturday at the church wedding ceremony of President Jonathan’s foster daughter, Inebharapu, with his retinue which included his trusted aide, Dr Andy Uba, gave the guests a pleasant jolt. Not only was Obasanjos arrival cheered with a deafening applause, he was also given a standing ovation as he made his way to the VIP section where he eventually settled down calmly. Saturday’s occasion, held at the National Christian Centre, Abuja, would be the first time the duo would meet since the public presentation of My Watch last month. It would also be recalled that Obasanjo pointedly shunned President Jonathan’s declaration to contest the February 14 presidential election. The former Peoples Democratic Party’s Board of Trustees chairman had, in addition, tacitly rebuffed the peace overtures of the party leaders, who paid him a visit at his Abeokuta residence last year. Of course, Obasanjo’s poisonous arrow darts of criticisms were not ignored by President Jonathan’s loyalists, who were worried that it would hurt their principal’s second term bid. For instance, when he flayed the President for depleting Nigeria’s foreign reserves, he drew the ire of a handful of the administration’s devotees, including no less a personality than the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who had served under his administration. Not a few in the party’s leadership would wish to see Obasanjo’s yesterday’s attendance of President Jonathan’s foster daughter’s wedding as a sign of a lasting truce between the two leaders. That should explain the thunderous ovation that greeted the elder statesman during the church service. They were further gladdened by the ensuing exchange of banters between Jonathan and his wife, Patience, with Obasanjo, Mark and other guests. Perhaps, the icing on the cake of this truce is President Jonathan’s parting words, which came as his vote of thanks: “Let me appreciate our father, President Olusegun Obasanjo, for being here with us. Thank you for coming.”
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 17:49:38 +0000
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