TheCable

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has asked some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) before they die.

He made the call at a dinner organised to celebrate the 80th birthday of John Odigie-Oyegun, former APC national chairman, in Abuja on Sunday.

At the event, Osinbajo narrated a story of an American Republican senator who told his family on his dying bed that he wanted to cross over to the Democratic Party before dying.

“Let me tell a story of politician who was a long time life Republican politician in the United States (U.S.). He was lying down on a sick bed and was about to die, he said, I want to change my party, I want to become a Democrat so that tomorrow it will be announced that a Democrat died not a Republican,” he said.

“You can see that we politicians are very faithful and very loyal indeed. I can only ask our friends in PDP also to ensure that they cross over before they die! It is time for them to cross over.”

Osinbajo commended Oyegun for his loyalty to the ruling party and for leading it to victory during the 2015 elections.

He said Oyegun’s understanding of politics and his ability to chart his own course, is worthy of emulation.

“I have always admired Chief John Odigie-Oyegun for two reasons. First reason is that somehow, he has always been his own man, charting his own course, sometimes, making some real troubles,” he said.

“For example, when as a permanent secretary, he raised contempt proceedings when he refused to testify in principle.

“The second reason is that somehow, he manages to be so deep in Nigerian politics even though he doesn’t look like a politician or sound like one. He always sound like a fine, well-read and well-spoken gentleman driven into politics by some rascals.”