Former
President Olusegun Obasanjo and Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill
Akpabio, met behind closed doors in Abuja on Thursday to deliberate on
the polarisation of the Peoples Democratic Party governors.
It was gathered that at the meeting,
Akpabio also solicited Obasanjo’s support for President Goodluck
Jonathan’s second term bid in 2015.
Akpabio, who chairs the PDP Governors’
Forum, was said to have used the opportunity of the meeting which was
attended by a PDP chieftain, Otunba Oyewole Fasawe, to solicit for the
intervention of the former President in ending the differences among
the governors.
He was said to have told Obasanjo that
the ongoing acrimony among the governors was not good for the image of
the PDP and its determination to win the 2015 presidential election.
Since the conduct of the Nigeria
Governors’ Forum election, which was won by Rivers State Governor,
Rotimi Amaechi, the PDP governors have continued to exchange hot words
on the pages of newspapers.
While those who supported Amaechi’s
opponent , Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State, have continued to
accuse those in the other camp of betrayal, supporters of the winner
said it was victory for democracy.
The outcome of the election had resorted in the NGF having two secretariats.
Also, some of the governors, like Sule
Lamido of Jigawa State, have warned that winning the PDP
presidential primary by Jonathan would not be a guarantee that he
would triumph during the presidential election.
Lamido, who is known to be very close to
Obasanjo, is one of the four governors from the northern region that
visited Amaechi in Port Harcourt on Tuesday. The others were Rabiu
Kwankwaso (Kano); Babangida Aliyu (Niger); and Murtala Nyako (Adamawa).
At the meeting, Obasanjo was said to
have listened with rapt attention when Akpabio solicited his
intervention to smoothen the relationship between the President and the
governors.
Though the former President was said not
to have made any commitment, it was gathered that Akpabio was working
towards bringing Obasanjo and Jonathan to come together and discuss.
Akpabio, who is also close to the former
President, was said to have expressed his worry on how the former
President had distanced himself from the activities of the PDP.
A source privy to the meeting which held
at Hilton Hotel said, “It was a brief meeting, where the former
President listened with rapt attention as Akpabio spoke. But
unexpectedly, he did not make any commitment. But I think that
President Jonathan would want to meet with the former President.”
Obasanjo was said to have immediately
left for Zimbabwe after the meeting while Fasawe went to the
headquarters of the PDP for a discussion with the party’s National
Chairman, Dr. Bamanga Tukur.
Fasawe confirmed the meeting but declined to give details.
“But you know my relationship with Chief
Obasanjo,” was the answer he gave when asked to speak on issues that
were discussed at the Hilton Hotel meeting.
Meanwhile, members of the National
Working Committee of the PDP have been asked not to turn Anambra
State into an “oil well” during the forthcoming governorship election
in state.
The PDP stakeholders in the state, who
stated this at a meeting they had with the leadership of the party at
its headquarters, called for transparency in the conduct of the primary.
The meeting was held as part of preparations for the November 16 governorship election in the state.
The stakeholders were drawn from groups within the party in the state.
Among those who spoke at the meeting
were a former Governor of the state, Chief Chinwoke Mbadinuju; a former
Chairman of Police Service Commission, Chief Simeon Okeke; a former
Minister of Health, Prof. A.B.C. Nwosu; a governorship aspirant, Prince
Nicolas Ukachukwu, and Mrs. Bridget Obi.
Obi said, “It is only in Anambra State
that primaries are held in three different hotels and results would not
be announced until they get to a police station.
“My plea is that, please don’t make Anambra your new oil well. Resist temptations in order to succeed.”
The meeting resolved that all members
of the state PDP would work in unity to ensure victory for the party
during the election.
They also said that all those who have
cases in court should withdraw them failing which the party would take
severe disciplinary measures against them.
While they said that no member of the
party in the state shall institute any suit on any matter affecting
the conduct of the forthcoming congresses and primary election for the
November governorship election, they however warned that the PDP must
not be partial during the polls
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