In a move to heal divisions in the north and possibly save the country, five governors in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are continuing their political foray today. LEADERSHIP had reported exclusively yesterday that five state governors -- Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Sule Lamido (Jigawa) and Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) would visit former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, in Minna yesterday. A source said yesterday that “after visiting General Babangida today, the governors also plan to visit former head of state, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, and former minister of defence, General TY Danjuma”. “The governors believe that these individuals are key stakeholders. At a time when some people are bent not just on dividing the north but the entire country by playing ethnic and religious cards to the hilt, the governors plan to engage these distinguished Nigerians in a conversation to save the country,” the source said, adding that the crisis playing out in Rivers State and the presidency’s apparent sympathy and support for the loser of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum election, Governor Jonah Jang, were alarming signs of “a gathering storm”. “This is not just about the party or about 2015; it’s about the future of Nigeria. The governors are sad that people who have been given a mandate to heal the country have become instruments of strife and division. This move is beyond party lines. You will see.” The source said some persons were taking advantage of the serious security challenges in a few states in the north to further divide the region and had, in fact, tried to “recruit some top political officeholders into their fold”. The source also explained that although the governors had mulled including former head of state, General Muhammadu Buhari, in the ongoing consultations, opinions were divided among them because of the perception that he is still an “interested party” in the contest for the presidency in 2015. Four of the so-called “renegade governors” – Kwankwaso, Wamakko, Lamido, and Nyako – had visited former president Olusegun Obasanjo in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Saturday. Reports said there were other PDP governors sympathetic to the moves of the “renegade governors” but who cannot show their hands at this time. Aliyu, chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, could not attend the meeting because of flight problems. After the visit, Governor Nyako told the press that they had come to see Obasanjo “on very important issues”. The governors’ visit came barely one hour after President Goodluck Jonathan left Obasanjo’s house. The press was barred from both visits. Sources said the move by the northern governors to rally key leaders in the region is “the first step in the strategic move to regroup the north”. “The next stage,” according to the two separate sources, “would be to reach out to leaders in other zones to build a pan-Nigerian force before the election.” - See more at: leadership.ng/news/220713/2015-5-governors-strategic-move-asnorth-regroups#sthash.ioysQSGo.dpuf
Posted on: Mon, 22 Jul 2013 12:25:02 +0000
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