Former President Olusegun Obasanjo Saturday played host to President
Goodluck Jonathan and five governors from the northern zones of the
country in separate meetings at his Owu, Abeokuta residence.
Jonathan had first gone to condole with the family of his Special
Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, whose mother was
interred on Friday in Abeokuta. Shortly afterwards, he proceeded to
the Owu residence of Obasanjo where they held a closed-door meeting.
Also yesterday, chairman of the Northern States Governors
Forum,Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, and his colleagues,
Governors Rabi'u Musa Kwakwaso of Kano State, Sule Lamido of Jigawa
State, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko of Sokoto State, andMurtala Nyako of
Adamawa State met with the former president at his residence in
Abeokuta.
The PDP National Vice Chairman (North-west), Ambassador Ibrahim
Kazaure, was as well present during the discussion between Obasanjo
and the governors.
Obasanjo had been holding meetings with different groups and
individuals within the Peoples Democratic Party since Friday. Thefirst
of such meeting was in Abuja with the chairman of the PDP Governors'
Forum, Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State.
Jonathan, too, had in recent days held meetings with individuals,
which were not open to the public. Two of the meetings were with some
unidentified persons at the State House, Marina, Lagos.
Though, details of yesterday's parleys between Obasanjo and Jonathan
and that between the ex-president and the northern governors were not
made public, they were believed to be connectedwith efforts to put
Jonathan and Obasanjo back on friendly terms before the commencement
of electioneering activities ahead of the 2015 general election.
The meeting between Jonathan and Obasanjo lasted over one hour. At the
end of it, the president told reporters: "It is true we saw President
Obasanjo in his house because we came here to Abeokuta to commiserate
with Abati who buried his mother yesterday. And knowing that Abati's
house is at the backyard of Obasanjo's house, it will not be good if
we come and not visit him.
"Even the man himself will not be happy if we don't visit him. I
amlike a son to Obasanjo."
Jonathan and Obasanjo have had a frosty relationship, often resulting
in public spats, since less than one year after the 2011 presidential
election, which the former had won with the active support of the
latter. The point of disagreement is widely believed to be Obasanjo's
perceived indisposition towards Jonathan's second term ambition in
2015. Things came to a head in April last year, when the former
president resigned as chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees.
In the resignation statement, which he personally signed and
madeavailable to the media on April 3 last year, Obasanjo had said, "I
have formally requested the president to allow my bowing out and to
issue a short statement to that effect.
"By relieving myself of the responsibility for chairmanship of BoTof
PDP, I will have a bit more time to devote to international demand on
me."
Obasanjo also said his resignation would enable him "to give
someattention to mentoring across the board, nationally and
internationally, in those areas that I have acquired some experience,
expertise and in which I have something to share."
But it was a statement that had tended to belie the brewing
misunderstanding between the former president and the incumbentas well
as the ex-president's frustrations at some of the treatmentsthat were
being meted out to him and his supporters in the PDP.
In January, the then national secretary of PDP, Chief
OlagunsoyeOyinlola, was removed based on a court order, which the
party's national leadership had swiftly obeyed and also dismissed the
national treasurer Bode Mustapha and the South-west zonal executive
led by Mr. Segun Oni.
All those affected were Obasanjo's supporters and the action of the
party, which is not famous for obeying such court judgements, many
believed, was targeted at the former president.
But both men appear to be working towards a resolution ahead of the
2015 election.
In May, Obasanjo had visited the president at his Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia, villa during the Special Summit of African Heads of State
and Government and 50th Anniversary Celebration of the African Union.
Meanwhile, at the family house of the Abatis, Jonathan had told them
to take solace in the fact that their mother lived to a ripe agebeyond
the Biblical three score and ten years.
In his remarks, on behalf of the family, Abati thanked the president
for the visit, recalling appreciatively his earlier representation by
his Chief of Staff, Chief Mike Ogiadomhe, at the funeral service for
his mother.
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