Jonathan seeks audience with Obasanjo Written by Kehinde Akinyemi, Abeokuta President Goodluck Jonathan has sent an emissary to former president Olusegun Obasanjo for a visit, Daily Trust has learnt. The move is seen as a last minute effort to get the blessing of his estranged political godfather ahead of the February 14 presidential poll. Late last month, Jonathan visited former head of state Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd) in his country home in Minna, Niger State. Daily Trust gathered that Jonathan’s emis-saries have been on the trail of Obasanjo who is a former Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) . President Jonathan would have been in Abeokuta for the visit last Thursday but for a last minute cancellation. Evidence that Jonathan was being expected at the Obasanjo’s country home last Thursday was that the expansive house became a Mecca of a sort albeit temporarily, with the presence of PDP bigwigs. After hours of endless wait and an apparent indication that the visit would no longer hold, the visitors started leaving one after the other. A top member of the party confirmed to Daily Trust that their presence was “aimed at giving Mr. President a befitting welcome.” He said: “But, after series of calls to Abuja, we found out that it has been rescheduled, but what time and venue it will be, I cannot say.” The reason for the cancellation could not immediately be ascertained but a source said both sides decided to postpone it due to understanding reached between them. “I think both sides want to play safe to avoid past experiences. What aides are doing to divide them is more than what they are doing to unite them. “There is need to have enlarged presence of some eminent Nigerians, so that the meeting would be frank and expository. Both sides apparently agreed to the idea. “So, may be after the holidays, the visit will hold. In fact, Baba (Obasanjo) is willing to come down to Abuja as mark of respect for the Office of the President, but, the President is just determined to come to Abeokuta, just as it was done for Babangida at Minna,” the source said. However, our correspondent further gathered that Obasanjo would still stick to his demands for discipline in the party, level of insecurity/state of the economy and his relevance in the PDP, after all primaries had been concluded and his loyalists demeaned. During the visit of six governors of the PDP last month, Obasanjo declared that he would not allow the crisis in the party to be solved through a back-door solution, which he described as a “NADECO” approach. He said the party should consult wide in finding lasting solutions to the problems which, according to him, were a source of concern to every party member. “But, what is happening, instead of finding the solution, it is worsening the more. The party’s primaries in some states are a pointer to this,” a source said. On the state of the country, Obasanjo had told the visiting governors that the situation could not just be allowed to continue. He said though the situation did not scare him, but “it gives serious concern and with the rainy days staring us at the face, we have to let the nation know. You don’t need an expert to say that our economy is not what it is supposed to be,” Obasanjo had said. Source: DailyTrust
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 17:39:01 +0000
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