Obasanjo Meets Governors In The Dead Of The Night In Abuja

Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is widely respected by politicians seeking for one favour or the other in the country, has met with some governors in Abuja with regards to 2015.

“The crisis in Rivers State is a major issue to be addressed and the ex-President secured the assurance of Governor Rotimi Amaechi that he would attend the session.”
His intervention may have been prompted by a recent visit to him in his Abeokuta, Ogun State country home by five PDP governors.

Governors Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) and Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto) visited Obasanjo last month to seek his intervention in the PDP and Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) crises.

It was gathered that top on the agenda at the session was how to resolve the feud between the president and some of the governors, especially Governor Rotimi Amaechi and the five Northern governors.

It was also learnt that Obasanjo would use the session to reconcile governors who are said to be threatening to leave the party if things does not change.

A source who spoke with Nation said: “The meeting was at the instance of Obasanjo following issues raised by the 5 governors and the apparent spill over of the division among the governors on cohesion within PDP.

“But this might just be the first step in the series of interventions being championed by Obasanjo. The former president is expected to meet with other stakeholders in the PDP as a way of restoring true democracy in the party.”

Responding to a question, the source added: “We are only hopeful that all the key actors will accept to work for peace not only in Rivers but in PDP.”

A governor, who spoke in confidence before the meeting, which had not started at press time last night, said: “We are eager to put all these challenges behind us because 2015 is fast approaching.”

The source said some governors have already advised President Goodluck Jonathan not to allow his aides to create a gulf between him and Obasanjo, for his own good.