More facts have emerged over the unscheduled visit of former
president, Olusegun Obasanjo, to President Goodluck Jonathan on
Thursday in Kenya.
A presidential source revealed that the former leader did not deny
the content of the letter, but made some clarifications to the
president.
According to the source, who was in Nairobi, during Obasanjo’s visit,
the former president told President Jonathan that he stood by the
contents of the letter including the sentiments expressed in it, but
stressed that he was not responsible for the leakage of the letter to
the online medium, Premium Times, which published the 18-page letter
that was later re-published in all Nigerian newspapers.
According to the source, the appearance of the former leader at the
hotel took many aides of the president by surprise, even though a
protocol liaison officer was reported to have preceded the visit.
Obasanjo, on arriving the venue, was said to have exchanged banters
with some of the dignitaries accompanying the president before his
one-on-one with Jonathan.
Obasanjo was quoted as telling Jonathan that while he was not
responsible for the leakage, he was still expecting a reply from
Jonathan. It was however gathered that certain elements within the
administration believed the former leader did the leakage as part of
ongoing offensive against the number one citizen.
“Baba denied responsibility for the leakage of the letter. But Mr President was non-committal,” the source said.
The interaction between the two men was, however, said to be devoid of tension associated with the letter back at home.
“Both men were not stiff or confrontational,” the source said.
Obasanjo was said to have advised that the leakage was either done
by some elements within the administration or linked to any of those he
copied.
Meanwhile, worried by the disunity in the South-West zone of the
ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former President Obasanjo has
summoned a meeting of the stakeholders in the zone for today.
Saturday Tribune learnt that the fence mending meeting would hold at
Chief Obasanjo’s Top Hill residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
According to a source, all the six states, namely; Ekiti, Lagos,
Ondo, Osun, Oyo and Ogun would be represented at the meeting while
invitation had been extended to the states’ representatives.
“We are having a meeting with Baba Obasanjo on Saturday (today) in
Abeokuta. We have not received any counter order (from Abuja). We are
going there to know the way forward.
Honestly, we don’t know what is happening to the PDP in the
South-West. We have lost our identity in the scheme of things; strangers
seem to have taken over the party we laboured for because of disunity
among us, so, I think the meeting is timely,”the source told Saturday
Tribune in confidence on Friday.
It was further learnt that five representatives per state are being expected at the meeting.
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