The Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido and the National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, met in Abuja on Wednesday on how to convince ex- President Olusegun Obasanjo to return to the party.
Investigations by PUNCH in Abuja on Thursday indicated that the meeting took place at the Abuja residence of Mu’azu. The meeting, it was learnt, was at the instance of Mu’azu, who was said to be worried about the political implications of Obasanjo’s decision to dump the PDP.
At the meeting between Lamido and Mu’azu, it was learnt that Mu’azu expressed sadness over the turn of events in PDP, which has been ruling since the country returned to democratic rule in 1999.
One of the aides of the PDP chairman, who was at the meeting, said Mu’azu was “visibly sad that the once-cohesive party” is now becoming a joke ahead of a critical presidential election.
It was learnt that at the meeting, the national chairman of the party sought the opinion of Lamido on how to approach the tirade being thrown by Obasanjo at the party and President Goodluck Jonathan.
The chairman’s aide, who spoke with PUNCH on the condition of anonymity, said that the governor warned the party against trading accusations with the former President.
Lamido is considered as one of the governors very close to President Obasanjo.
The chairman’s said, “The governor warned the party against fighting the former President. He also asked Mu’azu to warn some members of the party, including a governor from the southern part of the country to stop abusing the former President.
“He told the chairman that the party and the President do not have the capacity to fight the President, saying that before Obasanjo would open his mouth to say a word, he has his facts.
“Besides, he added that there are other sympathisers of the former President in the party and that any attempt to rubbish him (Obasanjo) would make many of them uncomfortable.”
Recalled that Obasanjo, while announcing his decision to leave the party where he was once its Chairman of Board of Trustees, on Monday, also ordered that his membership card be torn to shreds.
But the PDP has said it would not relent in its desire to convince Obasanjo to return to party.
