PDP crises: Obasanjo, IBB, others hold meeting with Tukur, Baraje

Some select elders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Friday met with the two warring groups of the party at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja as part of their efforts to find a lasting solution to the crisis rocking the ruling party.

The five elders at the two separate meetings included former military President, Ibrahim Babangida, PDP Board of Trustees Chairman, Chief Tony Anenih, and two former PDP National Chairmen, Senators Barnabas Gamade and Ahmadu Alli.

Former Vice President Alex Ekwueme and first national chairman of PDP, Chief Solomon Lar who were supposed to be part of the Obasanjo group of elders to mediate between the two groups, were absent and Obasanjo later confirmed that the two were out of the country.

According to Obasanjo, who addressed press after the meeting stated that the elders' group would on Tuesday meet with the warring factions at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in the presence of President Goodluck Jonathan.

'I thank you for exercising patience. You have seen five of us. As select elders of the party, we have taken it upon ourselves to prevent the worst from happening to our party.

'Two of us, Lar and Ekueme are abroad and could not join us but we are carrying them along. But suffice to say that there is family dispute within the PDP which we want to stem the tide of and prevent our party from  going to the brink.

'And I want to say that we have met with the two sides of the family. We have listened to them and of course, we are going to put our heads together and go on from there,' he said.

The PDP elders  met with the two groups at different locations in the hotel. While  the Bamanga Tukur-led PDP stayed in Benue Hall, the Baraje group were at the Kaduna Hall.

The elders shuttled between the two locations throughout the five-hour duration of the meeting.

Tukur was accompanied by Governors Henry Seriake-Dickson, Godswill Akpabio and  Jonah Jang and PDP acting national secretary, Remi Akitoye to the meeting.

But Baraje was accompanied by Governors Sule Lamido, Magatargada Aliu Wamakko and Rotimi Amaechi.