Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has asked the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to purge itself of “bad eggs and hypocrites”, who, according to him, lacked commitment to return the political group to its lost glory. The Egba high chief spoke when he received the party leaders from South West, led by the National Vice Chairman in the zone, Dr. Eddy Olafeso, in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Alleging that that many of the PDP chieftains were after “their pockets and stomachs”, he wondered why some top echelon had left the party while others lost hope shortly after the announcement of the 2019 presidential results.

According to him, Nigeria demands a vibrant voice and opposition in the party with a view to building a virile democracy. Obasanjo bemoaned what he called failure of leadership in the country, noting: “Nigeria cannot move forward if we continue the way we are.”

For PDP to bounce back, the ex-leader said the party must shop for those he called “critical mass of committed people.” These set of people, he insisted, “will be ready to stand with the party come rain, come shine.” He went on: “I knew PDP would lose the election in 2015 because it was clear. And I knew PDP will need to be rebuilt after losing the election. You need what I call critical mass of committed people come rain, come shine. They must be committed. With that, you can make Nigeria better.

“You see people’s beautiful faces but you don’t know what each person harbors inside of him (or her). If you discover a bad egg, remove such a person. And if such a person has learnt his or her lessons, there can still be room to accommodate him or her.

“Politically speaking, you can’t be my friend if you don’t buy into the Nigeria project. For me, till death, I will continue to push for a better Nigeria. I said if you compare the two of them (referring to Atiku and Buhari), with what I know and all I have written about the incumbent which they have decided to cover up, Atiku is far better than the incumbent. That is the point I am making. And nobody is perfect.”

Earlier, Olafeso said the visit was to celebrate the host on his 82nd birthday and thank him for his support for the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the just concluded polls. He described Obasanjo as a loyal, upright and committed leader who is “ready to speak truth to power not minding whose ox is gored.”