Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, over the weekend had a meeting with the immediate past Governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso and some political parties over 2019 elections.
Obasanjo, it was gathered, met with 35 political parties under the aegis of the Coalition for New Nigeria at Protea Hotel, located at 42/44 Isaac John Street, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.
Others at the meeting included the Co-Chairmen of the Nigerian Intervention Movement, Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), and Dr. Jhalil Tafawa-Balewa, one of the children of Nigeria’s post-independence first Prime Minister, Alhaji Tafawa Balewa.
A former Governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke; a former Governor Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola; and a former Special Adviser to Obasanjo, who is the spokesman for the CNM, Mr. Akin Osuntokun, also attended the strategic meeting.
Some of the political parties represented at the meeting included the Social Democratic Party, Labour Party, Alliance for Democracy, Democratic People’s Congress, Action Alliance, Progressives People’s Alliance, Democratic Alternative and National Conscience Party.
Co-Chairman of the Nigerian Intervention Movement, Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), confirmed the meetings with Obasanjo.
Agbakoba who was present at the meeting said they would continue to hold meetings with Obasanjo in exploring the right options to overthrow APC and PDP come 2019.
He said, “What I can say is yes, that is true. We are exploring the option of working together and those conversations are still ongoing and we have a mutually-agreed agenda that we will have to make an impact in 2019.
“And that we will not be supporting the APC or the PDP. We have agreed on that but we have not agreed on who the candidate would be and other minute details.”
Speaking on the presence of old politicians like Kwankwaso and Oyinlola in the meetings, Agbakoba said the politicians are in circumspect with Obasanjo’s agenda.
“I can confirm that Kwankwaso was there and Oyinlola was there, but for us, our concern is that Nigerians need to see a new political plan and we told them in clear terms that if we are to work together, it would present a challenge if the Nigerian voting population see the same old people and then there would be no change. So, that’s where we are.
“It will be difficult in my view for us to be supporting the same old people who left the PDP and went to the APC to come and join us. It will be very difficult,”Agbakoba added.
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