Jonathan, Obasanjo, Babangida, Ali hold secret talks to end PDP crises

By The Citizen

The People's Democratic Party (PDP), Tuesday, intensified efforts towards resolving the crises engulfing the party as President Goodluck Jonathan held a meeting with former Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) and a former National Chairman of the party, Ahmadu Ali.

It was also learnt that former President Olusegun Obasanjo was also part of the meeting.

The closed-door meeting, which took place at the House Seven of the State House in Abuja, lasted between 2.00 p.m. and 2.45 p.m

Prior to the meeting, three governors loyal to Jonathan and the incumbent PDP chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, were sighted at the Villa's office wing of the President. They were Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State, Gabriel Suswam of Benue State and Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State.

None of the governors spoke with correspondents as they departed the Villa after their meeting with the President.

State House correspondents were barred from getting near the venue of the meeting with a warning from security personnel that anyone who attempted to cover the event would be severely dealt with.

Meanwhile, it was learnt that a meeting which Jonathan was earlier scheduled to have with the leadership of the new faction of the PDP and the seven 'rebel' governors at 2.00 p.m. yesterday was later said to have been postponed to 9.00 p.m.

Obasanjo and Babangida along with Ali and Barnabas Gemade as well as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Tony Anenih, met with the leaders of the New PDP and theĀ  Tukur-led executive of PDP on Friday last week to chart a peaceful end to the crises in the party.

Obasanjo, who anchored last Friday's meeting, had told reporters that another round of meeting was scheduled to take place yesterday. But Anenih and Gemade were not part of the afternoon meeting yesterday, and no reason was given for their absence.

Members of the PDP split along the lines of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje are still at loggerheads over who should be regarded as the authentic custodians of the PDP. - Guardian.