A chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Ben Obi, yesterday corroborated reports on how former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s third term agenda was aborted.
Obi, who was a serving senator at the time, introduced another dimension to the story as he narrated how the anti-third term lawmakers met at the Abuja residence of Chief Raymond Dokpesi.
Speaking at an event to mark Dokpesi’s 70th birthday anniversary at the Yar ‘Adua Centre, Abuja, Obi said the anti-third term lawmakers received full backing from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
According to him, Dokpesi was “recruited” into the fold of the lawmakers and that the media mogul made his home available for meetings of the lawmakers.
Obi said: “That was the strategy that was adopted in eliminating the third term project, having been given the full support by Atiku Abubakar. We met in Dr. Dokpesi’s place from 10pm – 2am every night, Monday to Friday. The group started with only six senators – Uche Chukwumerije; Olurunimbe, Mamora who is now a minister; Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi; Senator, Ahmed Maccido who is now late; Senator Dahiru and my humble self.
“We sought the support of Atiku, there was a time they wanted to stop the life coverage of the debate. We know what Atiku did to ensure that it did not happen. If you recall on May 16, 2006, when that project was shut down, we said we were not going to consider the bill clause by clause because of what we knew was going to happen. We were going to throw the baby and the bad water away. I was seated on my seat when Senator Ibrahim Mantu walked up to me and said senator, I want to see you and we went outside. He said, senator, today we are going to join you in killing this third term policy. I said what? I do not believe your story. Mantu then said wait, and he went down and brought Senator Dalhatu Tafida, and said, senator, I just told Senator Obi that, am going to help them pull down this third term today.
“He said yes, I can confirm that, I said okay, two of you please wait, I went down stairs and called on Senator Chukwumerije, and Mantu repeated the same story”.
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