Former President Olusegun Obasanjo played host to top People’s Democratic Party, PDP, chieftains which included former Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa state, Governors Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state, Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state who is also the party’s vice presidential candidate in next year’s election, on Saturday.
The meeting was meant to get his support for the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, even as his campaign continues to face backlash due to opposition of some governors of the party, led by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state, close watchers of the party said.
The ‘rebellious’ governors now known as G5 governors have vowed not to support the former vice president for the top job in the country, except the National Chairman of the party, Iyorcha Ayu, resigns his position.
Atiku insists he cannot force Ayu out, even as the party’s chairman holds on to his position, thereby putting the party on the firing line, and endangering the chances of the party in the make or mar election.
The magazine learned that the meeting with Obasanjo was convened to enlist his intervention, even though his body language, according to watchers of what is going on, indicates that he’s in support of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP. The former head of state has however denied endorsing any presidential candidate.
Sources privy to the meeting informed the magazine that the Lamido team told the former president that Atiku cannot win the presidential election without his support. They also wanted him to rein in the G5 governors before the new year.
“Everybody knows that former President Obasanjo is a national figure respected across the country. His intervention will go a long way to bring peace to the party. Atiku cannot win without Obasanjo’s support,” a source in the party who also attended the meeting said.
Another source told the magazine that “the delegation requested the former president to speak to a former governor of Rivers state to ‘talk to Governor Wike’ to step down his opposition to Atiku.”
“We believe that Governor Wike still listens to some people in the country, among them former Governor Odili who is a staunch and respected member of our party,” he said.
Meanwhile, a source close to Obasanjo told the magazine that the former president will not change his support for the LP candidate.
