Ahead of the emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) holding on Thursday in Abuja, President Goodluck Jonathan Wednesday night embarked on series of meetings with key stakeholders in the party.
The meetings, which held separately at the Presidential Villa, was with Governor Magatarkada Waamakko of Sokoto, who obviously represented the five aggrieved northern governors; the PDP leaders from southwest, many of whom were not happy with the way the former National Secretary, Olagunsoye Oyinlola was treated and lastly; PDP leaders from his state, Bayelsa.
Governor Wamakko told correspondents that he was at the Presidential Villa on “just a routine visit to the President of this great country”, saying it had nothing to do with NEC.
It is widely believed that some governors and key figures in the party might push for the removal of the embattled national chairman, Bamanga Tukur. Feelers inform that the eleventh hour meeting in Aso Rock, obviously was aimed at rallying support for the chairman who was installed by the President.
In attendance at the meeting with southwest leaders were Vice President Namadi Sambo, Chief Olabode George, Chief Abiola Ogundokun, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, Senator Iyiola Omisore, Senator Hosea Agboola, Professor Tunde Adeniran, Senator Lekan Balogun, Senator Musliu Obanikoro, Chief Kayode Adetokunbo, and Elder Wole Oyelese. Also in attendance were the Ministers of Police Affairs, Caleb Olubolade; Minister of State for Defence, Erelu Olusola Obada and Trade and Investment, Dr Olusegun Aganga.
The leader of the southwest group, Bode George, spoke extensively with correspondents on their mission. “We came to see the leader of the party to discuss the situation in our zone. And with all intents and purposes, we don’t want to have acrimony. You know this is why we have to say that there is need to take a cursory look at the PDP southwest because the house that has been built, we cannot allow it to be destroyed.
“If termites enter your house, you don’t run out to go and be a tenant elsewhere, you must fight it and so we made the presentation of our complete X-ray of the PDP situation in the southwest and I believe that the meeting was very successful. I am happy that we are going to start looking in the same direction at the end of this time.
“The national convention is one. The speculation about what is happening in the party and all that. You know big man big problem. The way the other little, these new parties are coming up. For us, we have been there since 1998, they will have to come and learn how to manage Nigeria, they have been managing tribes, the tribal set ups all over the place. But this time around, they are going to learn how to manage Nigeria and that is what the PDP has been doing.
“Remember also that the zoning concept in our own constitution is not in the national constitution but we are happy that it has sustained democracy since 1999 and we have concluded and we are affirmed that there will be no shaking.
Asked to shed more light on what he meant by ‘termites’, he said “What I am saying is that in this game, talking about termites. If you build a house, termites will come, if you are not careful. But in our own game, in politics when you get to this stage, anything is possible in a political war.
“They can send people who are not friendly with you to come and pretend that they are your friends, those are the termites I am talking about. You don’t run away from the termites inside your house and say you will be a tenant. You must stay and make sure that the termites in your own house are caged.”
