A former Nigerian President, Mr Olusegun Obasanjo, has stressed the need for politicians to focus on the issues needing solutions in Nigeria in their campaigns.
The former president made the request in Abeokuta on Tuesday in a meeting with a former military Head of State and the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari.
General Buhari’s visit was barely hours after the President and the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, visited the former president.
At the meeting with Buhari were other top leaders of the APC, who sought Mr Obasanjo’s support for the party’s candidate in the February 14 presidential election. Mr Obasanjo is a member of the PDP and he had told members of the APC in a previous meeting that he was a card carrying member of the PDP.
While the APC candidate called for Mr Obasanjo’s support despite his party colouration, the former president called for issue based campaigns, emphasizing that he had always had the interest of the nation, Nigeria, at heart above any party concern.
The APC team was led by the national chairman of the party Mr John Oyegun. Others at the meeting were a former governor of Lagos State, Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu and the Vice Presidential candidate, Professor Yemi Osinbajo amongst others.
On Saturday, Mr Femi Fani-Kayode, a spokesman for the campaign team of President Goodluck Jonathan, said General Buhari was not qualified to contest in the election that is less than 34 days away, insisting that General Buhari had not provided his primary school leaving certificate to the electoral body.
The APC insisted that their flag bearer had his credentials, describing Mr Fani-Kayode’s claims as preposterous and an attempt to destroy the image of the military, an institution that had been built over the years.
The electoral body had advised the PDP to go to court to air their grievance over the credentials of General Buhari, who the PDP claimed only submitted an affidavit in place of his credentials.
