PDP crisis: Jonathan’s talks with Aliyu, Lamido inconclusive

President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday night met with Governors Babangida Aliyu of Niger and Sule Lamido of Jigawa, with a view to wooing them not to dump the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) like their other colleagues.
Last week, five Governors among the ‘G7’ defected to the All Progressives congress (APC) alongside other chieftains of the PDP like Abubakar Baraje, Olagunsoye Oyinloa, Sam Sam Jaja, Senators Bukola Saraki and Adamu Abdullahi, among others.
The Governors are: Rotimi Amaechi- Rivers, Rabiu Kwakwanso-Kano, Aliyu Wamakko-Sokoto, Muritala Nyako-Adamawa and Abdulfatah Ahmed- Kwara.
The reconciliatory meeting which was held at the First Lady wing of the Presidential Villa, was attended by Vice President Namadi Sambo, chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) Chief Tony Anenih, Governors Godswil Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Liyel Imoke (Cross Rivers) and Idris Wada (Kogi).
Speaking with State House correspondents after the meeting, Chief Anenih said they had useful talks with the remaining two rebel governors, saying confidence was being restored.
He said, “We have had our meeting presided over by the President with the Vice President in attendance. We had very useful meeting, the summary of it all is that we are happy that we are moving to restore confidence and trust”.
Asked about the meeting Jigawa State Governor Lamido was evasive. He only said, “I stand by my principles which is one Nigeria which is based on law and order”
On his part, Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu, reiterated his earlier position that here remains in the ruling party, expressing optimism that sanity would be restored to the party.
“I am a member of PDP and that is why I am here at this meeting and as I said before the whole idea was to bring sanity back to our party and that is what we are still discussing. We are meeting again on Sunday but there will be series of meetings before then”, Governor Aliyu said..
President Jonathan had scheduled to meet with the seven aggrieved governors of the party last week Sunday but could not go ahead as planned a result of his trip to London for the HIIC meeting during which he took ill.
Earlier, Vice President Namadi Sambo had earlier met with some governors of the PDP. However, the thrust of the meeting was not known as all the governors present declined comment.
Those present were Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Martins Elechi (Ebonyi) and Sullivan Chime (Enugu), Idris Wada (Kogi), Jonah Jang (Plateau), Ibrahim Shema (Katsina), Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Theodore Orji (Abia), Isa Yuguda (Bauchi), Serike Dickson (Bayelsa) and Liyel Imoke (Cross River).
It was after the meeting that held at House 7 that they all moved to the First Lady Wing for a meeting with the now G2 Governors- Babangida Aliyu and Sule Lamido.
It will be recalled that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, had led the G7 Governors out of Eagles Square while the special convention of the ruling party on August 31. They later addressed a press conference at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua centre where they announced formation of a splinter group christened the ‘New PDP’.