The governors were to meet at Atiku’s home. President Goodluck Jonathan has initiated talks with some aggrieved governors of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, after the governors staged an embarrassing walkout from the party’s special convention on Saturday. Governors Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Muazu Aliyu ( Niger), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) and Mr. Atiku, had walked out of the Eagle Square venue of the convention shortly after the chairman of the electoral committee of the convention, Ken Nnamani announced the disqualification of over 70% of candidates after less than five minutes to voting. The governors of Rivers, Rotimi Amaechi and Adamawa, Murtala Nyako later met with their colleagues and the former VP where they announced a factional executive for the party. The governors, along with former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, have since formed a parallel executive of the party and have rejected the leadership of Mr. Jonathan and the party’s chairman, Bamanga Tukur, whom they accuse of violating the party’s rules. They selected the former acting national chairman of the party, Abubakar Baraje, and a former governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, as chairman and secretary respectively. The president has called for a meeting with the governors at the Aso Rock Presidential villa, Abuja, where he would try to broker a truce and reconcile with the governors. Before the invitation, we gathered that the governors as well as the new executives were billed to hold a meeting at the residence of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, in Asokoro district. The meeting at Mr. Atiku’s house, which was scheduled for 2pm has now reportedly been postponed until after the governors meet with the president. Sunday’s meeting at Mr. Atiku’s residence was expected to be a deliberation on the full list of the faction’s executives. But new reports say the governors have scrambled out of Abuja to avoid a meeting with the president.
Posted on: Sun, 01 Sep 2013 19:53:44 +0000