What Four Northern Govs Told OBJ •Rule Out Joining APC

Two days after the visit of four northern state governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to former President Olusegun Obasanjo at his Oke-Mosan private residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State, more facts have continued to emerge as to what was discussed behind closed doors.

The meeting was shrouded in secrecy as none of the parties went into details of the purpose of the visit but Information Nigeria has learnt that top on the agenda was the issue of the proposal of automatic ticket for President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 elections, the crisis presently rocking the PDP and the Rivers State political logjam.

The governors reportedly told the former president that for peace to return to the ruling party there must be a level playing ground for interested aspirants in the PDP ticket for the forthcoming presidential elections just as they reiterated their demand for the removal of the national chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.

The governors – Muratala Nyako (Adamawa); Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); and Aliyu Wammako (Sokoto), were said to have lamented the crisis confronting the party on all fronts and urged Obasanjo to intervene.

They also complained about the crisis in the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF); the Rivers State saga viz-a-viz the role played by the presidency; telling their host that if not properly handled it could tear the party apart.

On speculations that they were planning on joining the yet-to-be registered All Progressives Congress (APC), the aggrieved governors reportedly ruled that out as an option either now, or in the future but made it clear that they were fast running out of patience in the PDP hence their decision to seek the opinion of the former president on the matter.

It was learnt that after airing out their grievances, Chief Obasanjo reportedly pleaded with them to exercise more patience just as he insisted that they must work together to protect the unity of the country.

It was also learnt that shortly after the parley, Chief Obasanjo, in his characteristic joking manner, took turns in removing the caps on the governors’ heads and trying it on his own in a bid to find out which one “suits” him.