President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday presided over Council of State meeting with former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Shehu Shagari; and former Head of State, retired General Yakubu Gowon, in attendance.
Former Head of the Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan, and the Senate President, David Mark, were also in the meeting held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Also at the meeting were former Chief Justices of Nigeria, Idris Kutigi and Mohammadu Uwais; the National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim; and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke.
The governors at the meeting included those of Abia, Ekiti, Enugu, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Niger, Cross Rivers, Kogi and Ebonyi, and the acting Governor of Taraba, while Katsina State was represented by the state’s Deputy Governor.
For some time now, Obasanjo had been absent at Council of State meetings, fuelling speculations of a rift with Jonathan, who he had ceaselessly criticised for his handling of the country’s affairs.