4th November, 2013
Abiodun Onafute/ Abeokuta
Five of the seven aggrieved governors of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, this afternoon met with former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo at his Abeokuta, Ogun State, residence to deliberate on the crises rocking the party.
The governors sighted at Obasanjo’s residence include Aliyu Babangida (Niger), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Muritala Nyako (Adamawa) and Rabiu Kwankwanso (Kano).
Those absent are Governors Abduahmed Fatai (Kwara) and Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto).
It was not clear what they came to discuss with Obasanjo but P.M.NEWS gathered that it was not unconnected with the failed efforts to reconcile them with President Goodluck Jonathan.
The aggrieved PDP governors were scheduled to have a final discussion with President Jonathan last month over their disagreement with Jonathan but the discussion could not hold because some of the governors travelled to Mecca to perform the holy pilgrimage.
The aggrieved parties could also not find a meeting point when the governors returned from Mecca. Rather than meet the aggrieved governors for discussion to resolve the impasse, the Presidency has been using the police to harass and intimidate the dissenting governors and their supporters.
Several meetings planned by the governors in Abuja have been disrupted by the police acting on the order of the Presidency.
On Sunday, a Chief Superintendent of Police, Nnana Ama, led his men to disrupt a meeting of the G-7 governors and their supporters at the Kano Governor’s Lodge in Abuja. A week earlier, the Presidency also used the police to dislodge the G-7 governors who were holding a meeting at the Sokoto Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.
The five aggrieved governors were still meeting with Obasanjo behind closed door as at the time of filing this report.
The newsmen were barred by security operatives attached to Obasanjo house from gaining entrance into the compound.
The governors after about two hours closed -door meeting with the former Chairman of the Board of Trustees,BoT of PDP told the newsmen that there was no iota of truth in the rumour making round that they are planning to dump the PDP for any other party, saying, they are all back in the PDP , contrary to the speculation that they were planning to dump their party for the APC.
The governors who were in the same BMW jeep were driven by Ameachi, while other five cars with number plates covered were following them.
They also brought some cars with Oyo State government number which included two black Hyundai space buses marked OIA 01OY and OIA02 OY, a hilux with registration number OIA 32 OY and a luxurious bus marked OY 667 AOI, while three Hilux with no registration number were also part of the escorts .
Aliyu who spoke with newsmen shortly after the closed-door meeting described the meeting with Obasanjo as another round of consultation over the crisis rocking the party.
Giving reasons for their visit to Obasanjo,Niger State governor, Aliyu Babangida said “you may recall that when issues started, we consulted our elders, so this is part of the consultation, more so that we are coming to the resolution of the matters.
” We’ve been discussing with the President Goodluck Jonathan, discussing about these matters and we believe that very soon, after the lull of the pilgrimage, we are all back, so we needed to consult again to find out if there is any variable that has intervened and we are very happy things are going normal”,Aliyu said.
When he was asked whether they have come to bid the elderstatesman farewell from the PDP, Rivers State governor,Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi quickly interjected saying, “where did you get that”, and Aliyu concluded by saying,”I was not aware about that”. They entered their vehicles and zoomed off