Friday, December 13, 2013

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS : What OBJ, Jonathan discussed in Kenya •S/West PDP holds crucial meeting today ,,, TribuneNews

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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