Sen. Joseph Waku last Friday
said his six years of sabbatical leave from PDP followed the denial
of freedom of expression by the then leadership of the party.
Waku made this known in Guma,
his home town, at a grand reception for his return to the PDP after
years of what he described as ‘political sabbatical’’.
The News Agency of Nigeria
(NAN) reports that hundreds of people, including former Senate
President Adolphus Wabara, converged on Guma to welcome him back to
the party.
Waku told the large crowd that
he had to keep away from the PDP due to some undemocratic affairs in
the party during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s
administration.
He said party members were
denied freedom of expression by the government, adding that there
was no way people like him could agree to be caged.
Waku said he was back from
sabbatical leave, because the party leadership had now restored the
lost glory of PDP and members were now free to speak.
Waku also pledged not take
side with either Sen. George Akume or Governor Gabriel Suswam, but
to work with them for the development of the state.
Suswam said the presence of
prominent Nigerians at the occasion was an attestation of Waku’s
popularity as a true national figure, adding that he deserved the
support because of his achievements.
Suswam advised those aspiring
to political offices to be patient and wait for the right time,
urging Waku to accommodate everybody and promote peace among the
people.
The chairman on the occasion,
Akume, noted that Guma had produced many illustrious sons and elite,
who contributed to the development of the country.
He lauded Waku whom, he said,
took the fight against Obasanjo’s third term ploy very serious.
The PDP Chairman in Guma, Mr.
Samuel Aga, also expressed the hope that the state government would
place more emphasis on the development of infrastructure.
