PDP crisis: Jonathan meets inner caucus members

President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday night commenced a meeting with members of his inner caucus at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The meeting was to discuss the crisis that has split the PDP into two, with a faction headed by Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and the other by Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje.
The meeting commenced at 9:10pm when Jonathan arrived at the venue.
Among those at the meeting were the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak; the Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim; and Tukur.
Also present were the Kaduna State Governor, Muktar Yero; the Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam; the Abia State Governor, Chief Theodore Orji; the Cross River State Governor, Liyel Imoke; and the Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson.
Others at the meeting were the Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Uche Secondus; the Gombe State Governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo; the Bayelsa State Governor, Godswill Akpabio; the Kogi State Governor, Captain Idris Wada; the Bauchi State Governor, Isa Yuguda; and the Chief of Staff to the President, Chief Mike Ogiadhome.
Newsmen were sent away from the vicinity of the meeting, which was described as a family affair.
Jonathan was initially expected to meet with the governors elected on the platform of the party but who are with the splinter faction headed by Baraje and those still loyal to him.
An initial meeting with the governors, 16 in all, ended in a deadlock on Sunday.
Another meeting was scheduled for Tuesday (today) but had to be called off when the dissenting governors said they would not attend without the invitation to the meeting extended to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is a member of the Baraje faction.
Owing to this, the meeting was cancelled.
But this was after the governors believed to be loyal to Jonathan had arrived in Abuja for the meeting.
The governors elected on the platform of the PDP but who have teamed up with the Baraje-led executives include Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State, Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State and Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State.