. Wammako, Nyako, Kwankwaso, Lamido hold separate talks with Obasanjo
The Abeokuta home of the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday became another "national secretariat" of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as President Goodluck Jonathan and four northern governors met with him in separate consultations which lasted several hours.
President Jonathan, who arrived at Obasanjo's hilltop residence in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, at about 11: 51 a.m., hurriedly went into a closed doors meeting with the former president. The meeting lasted close to three hours.
Security was tightened around the former president's home as stern-looking, combined security operatives mounted guards at different locations in the area ahead of the president's arrival. Newsmen were also kept outside the premises.
Jonathan, however, left Obasanjo's residence at exactly 1:28 p.m. and headed for the private residence of his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Rueben Abati, at Asero Housing Estate in Abeokuta metropolis, to pay him a condolence visit on the death of his mother, Madam Maria Abati.
A few minutes after Jonathan's departure from Obasanjo's house, four governors from the North arrived at the former president's residence and held separate meeting with him.
The governors include Aliyu Wammako of Sokoto State, Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano and Sule Lamido of Jigawa.
The governors' meeting which was also held behind closed doors lasted for about an hour.
Sunday Mirror gathered that one of the issues discussed during the meeting with the former president was connected with the crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), especially the face-off between President Jonathan and Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi. Three of the governors – Nyako, Kwankwaso and Lamido – were last Tuesday pelted with stones when they visited Amaechi in Port Harcourt.
It was also gathered that the four northern governors, who had earlier arrived in Abeokuta a day before, deliberately avoided meeting with President Jonathan by retreating to their hotel rooms at DUSMAI Hotel within the legislative quarters in Abeokuta metropolis.
Sunday Mirror further learnt that Jonathan's visit to Obasanjo while paying condolence visit to Dr. Abati may not be unconnected with his moves to personally reconcile with the former president.
It would be recalled that the president's visit was coming less than 48 hours after he made a similar trip to the National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, where he was said to have expressed sadness over the crisis rocking the PDP.
Also, the President's visit to the former head of state was coming barely 24 hours after the ex-governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel and Adamawa State Governor, Murtala Nyako, visited.
Speaking with newsmen, however, Nyako described Obasanjo as the most accomplished Nigerian whose wealth of experience must be tapped from at every crucial moment in the life of the country.
His words: "Obasanjo is the most accomplished Nigerian ever and will remain so for a very long time, and we have come to consult him on very important matters."
Jonathan in company of top security chiefs which included the State Commissioner of Police, Ikhemefuna Okoye, Director of State Security Service (SSS), Joseph Okpu, NSCDC's Ade Abolurin, arrived at Abati's residence at exactly 1: 43p.m. and left at 2: 07 p.m. for what he described as condolence visit over the death of Madam Abati.
Speaking with newsmen after the 24 minutes condolence visit, the President emphasised that he decided to visit Abati in Abeokuta because he could not honour his mother's burial last Friday owing to official engagement which kept him out of the country.
"Yesterday (Friday) when the main burial took place, I sent a team to represent me because I was in Lome. I would have been in the church service yesterday. But, of course, as the head of state, you have some international programmes; there was nothing we could do, so, we were all there,
"Of course, political families and administrative set up are just like the families we have in our homes. Reuben being my media adviser is a part of my larger family. And just like you have siblings here in this community, Reuben has siblings amongst my aides my ADC, my state chief of protocols and all others, we belong to the same family.
"So, if anything happens to any of us, it happens to all of us. And of course, we believe in our traditions, we are religious people. We love the way we live with our siblings and extended family.
"The death of Madam Maria Taiwo Abati touches all of us and we must collectively play our role. Since we were unable to be here for the church programme, we said that this morning we have to be here. We must come and greet our brothers and sisters to express our condolence and to encourage the family.
‘Those of us who are Christians; the Bible says that we are supposed to live three scores and 10. So, any number of years above three scores and 10 is a blessing. So, for her to have lived to this ripe age, her departure should be celebrated and not mourned. So, our being here is to encourage them and to reassure the family that we are together and we'll continue to be together," Jonathan emphasised.
On his visit to Obasanjo's house which coincided with that of the four governors from the North, Jonathan declared that the former president is his father and would remain so.
He reiterated that it would appear as if he and the former president are quarrelling should he visit Abati without saying hello to him.
"Of course, you know that Reuben's house and Obasanjo's are just about 10 minutes drive to each other. It would not be proper if I'm coming to Ogun State to see Reuben who is just at Obasanjo's backyard and I would not stop over to greet him (Obasanjo). Even if he hears that, they would think that the President and Obasanjo, probably, have some differences.
"So, I said that before coming to greet the family, let us stop over and greet Obasanjo and we did that. We stopped over there. Even our helicopters are there in the Government House, we drove down here," Jonathan added.
