Hours after a most dramatic special national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, former President Olusegun Obasanjo visited President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The visit is believed to be in connection with the latest crisis rocking the ruling party.
A number of chieftains had embarrassed the party when they staged a walkout of the venue, the first of such incident in the party’s fifteen years of existence.
Already, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Governors Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Aliyu Babangida (Niger), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Abdufatah Ahmed (Kwara), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), former national chairman, Abubakar Kawu Baraje, ousted national secretary Olagunsoye Oyinlola, among others have announced a parallel national executive.
However, Obasanjo’s trip counters the claim by one of his loyalists, Tunji Akinosi (a former commissioner for agriculture in the Gbenga Daniel administration), who late Saturday, claimed that his mentor could not attend the convention because he was down with ‘cold’.
“It would be odd for him to be there and be uncomfortable as a result of the cough and cold. If he does that, it is people who will still blame him for not staying back. So, his reason for not attending was on medical grounds,” Akinosi told PREMIUM TIMES. He confirmed that said the former president followed the convention on television, adding that Obasanjo likened PDP to a sleeping lion, whose roar is always effective when it wakes up.
Continuing Akinosi said Obasanjo assured the party members who visited him that he would be a light after the tunnel.
“He told us not to leave the party,and we should not go anywhere. He said PDP is like a sleeping lion, that is scary to move closer to,and by the time it wakes up, its roar always vibrate.”
On Sunday morning, OBJ as fondly called, attended church service at Aso Villa Chapel with Jonathan, his wife, Patience, alongside visiting President Boni Yayi of Republic of Benin Republic and Mike Oghiadome, Chief of Staff to the President.
After the church service, the train moved to the children’s church from where they headed to the President’s residence for lunch.
In the meantime, the former president has called for an emergency meeting of elders of the party to urgently intervene in the factionalisation that hit the leadership of the party. According to him, “The situation in our ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) after the convention on Saturday and the parallel convention same day has given great concern to all well-meaning members of the party and particularly to the elders of the party.
Obasanjo in the statement he personally signed said “While some select elders are making efforts to get the situation resolved as soon as possible, it is imperative to emphasize that the move will bring back peace and return the party to its vigorous and dynamic election-winning party that it has always been.
“I want to passionately appeal to both sides for now to sheathe their swords, maintain the status quo, with earliest conveyance of the Elders’ meeting before the end of this week. Members are equally enjoined to remain calm until the Elders’ complete their peace-making meeting.”
He returned to his Abeokuta home after a closed-door meeting with Jonathan.
The president, it was learnt prevailed on him, to use his influence, wealth of experience and father figure to rally warring factions and chart a way forward to forestall an irreparable situation.
Meanwhile, the country’s leader held bilateral talks with Yayi also on Sunday.
A statement by the presidency confirmed that “President Goodluck Jonathan met Sunday at the Presidential Villa with the President Boni Yayi of neighbouring Benin Republic.
“Both leaders attended Sunday service together at the Villa Chapel before proceeding to the presidential residence for lunch and bilateral talks. “The talks between them focused on issues related to the strengthening of developmental cooperation between Nigeria and Benin Republic, including trade and economic relations.Former President Olusegun Obasanjo worshipped with President Jonathan and President Yayi at the Presidential Villa but did not participate in the talks between them.”
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