GOVERNORS TO OBASANJO: No Automatic Ticket For Jonathan & Tukur Must Go!
MORE facts emerged on Sunday on the separate private visits of President Goodluck Jonathan and four northern state governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo at his Abeokuta, Ogun State, private residence, on Saturday.
The governors were reported to have told Obasanjo that for peace to return to the PDP, the issue of automatic ticket for President Jonathan, ahead 2015 election, must be ruled out.
Also, the governors were said to have told the former president that the national chairman of the party, Chief Bamanga Tukur and the Rivers State Police Commissioner, Joseph Mbu, must go. The four northern PDP governors are Murtala Nyako (Adamawa); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Aliyu Wammako (Sokoto) and Rabiu
Musa Kwankwaso (Kano).
The visiting governors, who stayed put at a location when they were informed of the presence of President Jonathan at the resident of the former president, were said to have told their host in clear terms that they were tired of the multi-faceted crises rocking the party.
Also they complained the crisis in the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF); the Rivers State saga among others, and the ways and manners with which the issues were being handled by the presidency and its implications for the party if not addressed.
According to sources, the visiting governors were also said to have ruled out the possibility of defecting to the emerging All Progressives Congress (APC) as being speculated in some quarters, saying the APC was not the best alternative for them, either now or in future.
One of the sources told the Nigerian Tribune in confidence on Sunday that the aggrieved governors made it clear that they were running out of patience and would want to hear the last word from Chief Obasanjo, so as to know what to do.
Findings also revealed that the governors had, before the visit, muted the idea of floating a new political party as an alternative to the PDP, but shelved it and now contemplating forming an alliance with any of the existing credible political parties devoid of crisis.
Nigerian Tribune, however, learnt that after his visitors had spoken their minds, Chief Obasanjo reportedly pleaded for more patience, as he insisted on one indivisible Nigeria, which he also reportedly told President Jonathan before their arrival.
It was learnt that Chief Obasanjo, shortly after the meeting with the governors, took the meeting to a lighter side as he took their caps in turns to wear on his head, probably to find out which one “fits” him.
At the earlier meeting with President Jonathan, both leaders were said to have discussed on the state of the nation, the 2015 general election and the unending crises in the PDP, as well as the South-West zonal congresses and the mini national convention.
President Jonathan was said to have taken his time to offer explanations on salient issues to former President Obasanjo, with a plea for patience and more understanding.
It will be recalled that the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, who is also the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Governor Godswill Akpabio, had, last week, held a secret meeting with the former president in Abuja.
However, the reconciliation move initiated by Akpabio may be yielding fruits, as the four northern PDP governors are reported to have dropped conditions for peace within the ruling party.
The governors were said to have the mandate of their colleagues from Sokoto and Kebbi states.
A party chief, who was involved in the ongoing peace efforts told the Nigerian Tribune that the four governors were asking that four issues be sorted out if there was to be peace within the party.
According to the source, the governors passed a brief to Chief Obasanjo during their visit, adding that they were asking for an end to the harassment and witch-hunting of governors opposed to the alleged second term ambition of President Jonathan.
Also, they wanted an end to alleged plan to give President Jonathan an automatic ticket, at the expense of other interested aspirants; the deployment of Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mbu and the removal of Alhaji Tukur as the chairman of the party.
Nigerian Tribune was told that the governors did not expressly ask that the president should not run in the 2015 presidential race.
