There was uncertainty on Saturday about the meeting scheduled to hold on Sunday (today) between President Goodluck Jonathan and members of the breakaway faction of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The Presidency had said during the week that Jonathan was still favourably disposed to the peace talk despite the defection of five aggrieved governors to the opposition party, All Progressives Congress.
The meeting, which was initially slated for last Sunday, was put off because of Jonathan’s ill-health and jet lag, having arrived the country from London the same day.
When contacted on the telephone on Saturday, Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Mr. Ahmed Gulak, denied knowledge of the meeting.
“I am not aware of such meeting,” he simply said.
When asked specifically whether the meeting will not hold since by virtue of his position, he should have a foreknowledge of such an event, Gulak was noncommittal.
Jonathan is currently in his home state, Bayelsa, where he travelled to on Friday to participate in the state PDP caucus meeting and the burial rites of his late aunt.
The burial thanksgiving holds on Sunday (today).
It was not clear at press time whether the President will return to Abuja today or on Monday.
Meanwhile, the splinter faction has said any of the aggrieved seven governors is free to meet with President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday.
It, however, said members of the group had gone far with their merger with the All Progressives Congress.
The National Publicity Secretary of the New PDP, Mr. Chukwuemeka Eze, who said this in a telephone interview with our correspondent in Abuja on Saturday, however, said he was not aware of the number of the governors that will be at the meeting.
But he said he was aware that the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, had travelled out of the country.
Apart from Amaechi, four other governors defected to the APC in Abuja on Tuesday.
The governors are that of Sokoto(Aliyu Wamako), Kano(Aliyu Wamako) Kwara(Abdulfatah Ahmed) and Adamawa (Murtala Nyako).
The other two aggrieved governors, Sule Lamido and Babangida Aliyu of Jigawa and Niger states respectively, said they would remain in the PDP.
Eze said, “The governors are free to attend the meeting and listen to the President, who we still hold in high esteem.
“We won’t discourage any of them from attending, but we need to say that we have gone far with our discussion with the APC. In fact, we are now together.
“But there is nothing wrong in discussing with the President on the problems in the country and his party, the PDP, whose leaders have shown that they are not capable of running the party.”
Copyright PUNCH.
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