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Jonathan in fence-mending meeting with PDP govs

President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday evening engaged some Peoples Democratic Party governors in what seemed to be a fence-mending  meeting.


The meeting,   believed to have been brokered by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, took place  after an earlier one  the former President had with the governors.

The presence at the meeting of Governors Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Murtala Nyako (Adamawa);  and Babangida Aliyu (Niger), who had visited  some  former national leaders,   gave fillip to the belief  that the meeting was meant to resolve the rift in the  PDP.

Other governors in attendance as of the time of filing this report at 10pm  were those of Katsina, Cross River, Taraba, Benue, Ebonyi, Gombe, Abia, Kwara, Enugu, Delta and Akwa Ibom states.

It was learnt that  the Delta   State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, and  his Cross River State  counterpart, Mr. Liyel Imoke, had convinced Obasanjo to summon the meeting with the aim of  ending the lack of cohesion among the PDP governors.

Uduaghan and Imoke  were said to have implored the former President to  end the perceived  rift  between  him and the President in the interest of the PDP.

 Investigations  on Monday showed that the  two governors had also  met with  Obasanjo  on the need for him to intervene in the  disagreement  between Jonathan and the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi.

 It was learnt that  having been convinced by Uduaghan and Imoke, the former President  then  invited the  PDP governors  to the  meeting  which held in the Presidential Villa.

A governor, who was privy to the   Obasanjo-governors meeting, said the former President personally signed the  letter inviting all the PDP governors. He said that before doing so, Obasanjo  had demanded to know what role they expected him to play.

It was also gathered  that  the former President  was told that Jonathan still owed his emergence as President  to him and that it would not  be in his interest if Jonathan  failed and the party disintegrated.

The governor said, “We are worried about the body language of the former President.  His refusal to be part of activities in the party is worrisome. Also, the impression that Baba (Obasanjo) and the President are fighting is not helping the polity and the Presidency.

“The party is shaking, especially with the registration of the All Progressives Congress. We want the former  President to help douse the tension in our party.”


The governor said that the influence of the former President on some of the governors, especially those from the Northern part of the country could not be underrated.

“Obasanjo’s influence on the four   governors from the North, who have been moving from one state to  another is overwhelming. He can talk to them and there would be peace, “ he added.

He was referring to governors   Sule Lamido (Jigawa);  Murtala Nyako (Adamawa);  Babangida Aliyu (Niger); and   Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano).

The four governors and their  Sokoto State counterpart, Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko, had met with Obasanjo and some former leaders to complain about happenings in the party.

Our source   said as a mark of honour and in order to carry the President along, the PDP governors had met with  Jonathan at the Presidential Villa on Sunday night.

The meeting, he said, ended at 4.08am on Monday.


 “At the meeting with the President, we told him not to create any gulf between himself and the former President,’’  he said.

The source  added that  the meeting  between Obasanjo and the PDP governors  on Monday night  took place  at the Presidential Villa.

Our source  said that Obasanjo    told them (the governors) that they might remain there until the early hours of Tuesday if issues raised were not covered in time.

The governor said it was unfortunate that the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Bamanga Tukur,  had not met with the governors once since he assumed office.

Tukur, has, however defended himself on this allegation, saying he used to meet them regularly.

He said, “Our governors are  our governors. We meet with our members regularly. I just came back from a tour and we are going to be meeting with them regularly .”

At a news  briefing in Abuja on Monday, Tukur said   that  the PDP leadership  had set up a  reconciliation committee  because it  wanted harmony.

He said the party would use what he described as “stick and carrot” to achieve peace.


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2 comments

  1. Few elites uniting against the majority poor.We must unite at the bottom to stop the uncontrollable looting of our future.

    ReplyDelete

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