2023: Anyim Speaks On His Relationship With Obasanjo

A presidential aspirant under the Peoples Democratic Party, Anyim Pius Anyim, on Friday said he does not have any personal issue with former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The former President of the Senate noted that Obasanjo was an outstanding president Nigeria had, as he was focused on all he wanted to do.

He disclosed that they had a little disagreement with the elder statesman and it was an issue of the National Assembly and the Executive.

According to Anyim, what brought about the disagreement was a motion moved by Senator Idris Abubakar from Gombe and not a motion moved by him.

Anyim while speaking in an interview with Channels TV on Friday said, “I did not have any personal issue with (former) President Obasanjo.

“(Former) President Obasanjo was a very outstanding President Nigeria ever had. President Obasanjo was focused and determined in all that he wanted to do.

“We had a little disagreement, and it was the National Assembly and the Executive; not Pius Ayim and (former) President Obasanjo. What brought about the problem was a motion moved by Senator Idris Abubakar from Gombe, it wasn’t a motion moved by me.

“It was the action taken in the Senate that the former President was reacting to, and it was friction between National Assembly and the Executive.

“Of course, being the head of the legislature, I cannot run away from it; I was leading the legislature and he (Obasanjo) was leading the Executive on the other hand, but there was nothing personal.”

Anyim while speaking on his decision not to return to the Senate after 2003 said it would be seen as hunger for power if after leading the upper chamber, he returned to the red chamber.

He added, “I had been President of the Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly, I had gotten to the peak of that career; there was no reason for coming back because if I come back and I was not elected President of the Senate, I will be at the floor.

“Apart from that, if I have to come back, I should not expect to be elected as the President of the Senate because it should rotate and when I was leaving, I said that I believe in rotation. So, what makes you think that it was because of anybody?

“The election was in my zone; it wasn’t in the National Assembly. So, I wouldn’t have come back after being President of the Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly to sit on the floor for whatever reason, that should be a hunger for power, and I didn’t think I was hungry for power.”