Jonathan, northern govs in separate meetings with Obasanjo. Despite the rumoured frosty relationship between them, President Goodluck Jonathan and former president Olusegun Obasanjo met behind closed-door at the latter’s Hill Tophome in Abeokuta yesterday. Jonathan, who arrived Obasanjo’s home at about 11.52am, went straight into a discussion with his host, which lasted about two hours. After the meeting, he left his host at about 1.28 p.m. to pay condolence visit to the familyof his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, over the death of his mother, Mrs. Maria Taiwo Abati. Almost immediately after Jonathan’s departure from Obasanjo’s home, four northern governors arrived at the ex-president’s home to also hold talks with him. The governors are Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Aliyu Wammako (Sokoto), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) and Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano). Details of the meeting with the governors, which lasted about an hour, were not made public. It was expected that Jonathan and Obasanjo could have discussed the politics of 2015 andthe crisis ravaging the party particularly the controversy surrounding the planned conduct of its mini national convention as well as the Rivers State crisis. Only recently, the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum (PDPGF) and Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, led other party chieftains to visit Obasanjo in what was widely believed to be a reconcilatory move by Jonathan to resolve whatever misunderstanding between him and the former president before the commencement of electioneering activities. Obasanjo had in May similarly visited the president at his Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Villa during the Special Summit of African Heads ofState and Governments and 50th anniversary celebration of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), now African Union (AU). Nyako who addressed journalists after the governors’ meeting with Obasanjo described the former president as the most accomplished Nigerian, adding “and he will remain as such ever.’’ Nyako added: “we have come to consult withhim on important matters.” Fielding questions from newsmen on the visitto Obasanjo at Abati’s residence, the President explained that his mission in Abeokuta was for the condolence visit to the special adviser but added that he could not have come to Abeokuta where the former president lived and not pay him a visit. “You know that Reuben’s house and Obasanjo’s house are just about 10 to 20 minutes drive from each other. It would not be proper if I come to Ogun State to see Reuben who is just by Obasanjo’s backyard and I would not stop over to greet him (Obasanjo). He said he visited Obasanjo to avoid misrepresentation of his intention by the people who might think that he was avoidinghim. “ I am Obasanjo’s son. So, I said before coming to greet the (Abati) family, let us stop over and greet Obasanjo and we did that. Westopped over there. Even our helicopters are there in the Government House, we drove down here.’’ The President remarked that he had planned to attend the funeral service held at the St. John Anglican Church, Igbein Abeokuta in thestate capital after the commissioning of a housing estate in Lagos, but was unable to do so because there was the need for him to fly out to Togo to meet President of Côte d’Ivoire, Allasane Ouattara, in order to preempt some looming political crisis. He condoled with the family of Abati, who he said, was a member of his family and advisedthem to take solace in the fact that their mother lived to a ripe old age beyond the biblical three scores and ten. In his remarks, Abati, who noted that the family was no longer expecting the President since he had previously been represented by his Chief of Staff, Chief Mike Ogiadomhe at theservice, expressed delight at the visit of the President, saying that they would cherish the momentous occasion.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Jul 2013 05:49:41 +0000