That former President Olusegun Obasanjo, held a meeting with governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday night is no longer news.
However, what many do not know, is that some of those who attended the meeting which discussed the party’s internal wrangling almost engaged each other in a fight, DailyPost has learnt.
The parley which held at the Banquet hall of the State House in Abuja, harped on settling grievances expressed by the governors and other party chieftains with the 2015 general election in mind.
Several PDP governors, including Rivers state governor and chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, Rotimi Amaechi, as well as his opponent in the May 24 election, Jonah Jang of Plateau, were present.
PRNigeria, a news site, reports that ex-President had asked the governors to speak on their grievances. Each was allowed three minutes.
But the open complaint approach created tension, with governors Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers) and Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom) engaging in verbal assault.
Earlier, eight issues were tabled before the gathering.
Most of the governors reportedly spoke on the eight issues, while Obasanjo carefully listened and also acted as a moderator.
The issues were; division within PDP leadership; disagreement between some governors and the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur; the implosion in the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF); crises in some states; Anambra governorship poll; Rivers crisis; reconciliation within the party; and the alarm raised by five Northern governors on how to keep the party intact and win the 2015 poll.
A source said privy to the session that, “Obasanjo made sure he met alone with the governors. Contrary to the expectations of some of the governors, President Goodluck Jonathan was not at the session.
“Apparently acting on representations made by various governors to him, Obasanjo set the tone of the meeting, which he said had to do with the challenges being faced by PDP.
“He told us that the meeting would be ‘exploratory’ and each of the 23 governors of the party will be allowed to talk for only three minutes on why the party is in crises and the polarisation of PDP governors.
“Shortly after the introductory remarks, the governors started speaking on their grievances and how to resolve the crises rocking the party.
“Virtually all the governors agreed that things were upside down in the party.”
A governor reportedly told Obasanjo that,“We know you can address the challenges facing PDP. If we go into election in this state, our party will lose in 2015. Please, don’t be tired to resolve these problems.”
Another source spoke of how a governor said there was no point discussing the points being raised by five Northern governors because, in his view, they had made up their mind to go to another party.
“But Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso interjected by saying: ‘No one is defecting to another party; we are not going to any new or merger party. We will remain in PDP and restore order. That is not the intention of the five governors when we decided to intervene.”
Also speaking, a governor stated that: “Some of us tried to draw Obasanjo’s attention to the fact that the disagreement over the election of the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, was an integral part of the crises affecting PDP.
“Some anti-Amaechi governors shouted no, no, no. They insisted that the NGF crisis had nothing to do with PDP problems. They said the NGF problem was unconnected with the stress in PDP.”
On the scuffle between Amaechi and Akpabio, the former was said to have attributed the crisis to the attitude of some PDP governors, “who will always go behind their colleagues to tell the President a different thing to curry favour”.
According to the NGF leader, “Each time we all took a collective decision, some of our colleagues will go and tell the President a different story to show that they were not part of it.”
But the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Akpabio, disagreed with Amaechi. “That is not correct; it is not true,” he retorted, a reaction which resulted in a shouting bout.
Responding to a question, the source, a governor, added that: “After exhausting ourselves and trading blames, Obasanjo merely adjourned the meeting to Tuesday night.
“The former President did not blame anyone and refused to pass verdict on comments or submissions of the governors,” he added.
Obasanjo is expected to brief President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP leadership on his findings.
Meanwhile, a series of meeting will hold in coming days, so as to ensure that adequate views and information of warring parties is gathered for the purpose of reconciliation.
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