PDP National Convention: Babangida, Makarfi, Okowa, Bello in closed door meeting

Ahead of the Peoples Democratic Party National Convention coming up on Saturday, the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the party, Senator Ahmed Makarfi; the Chairman, Convention Planning Committee and Governor of Delta State, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa; and other top members of the party on Wednesday met separately with former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, and Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State behind closed door.
The visit to General Babangida took place at his uphill residence for about one hour, while their meeting with Governor Bello, which held at the Government House, lasted for about 40 minutes.
The meeting with the former military president was to brief him on preparation for Saturday’s convention.
Feelers from a source had it that there were plans to woo the Niger State Governor back to the PDP he once served as a commissioner.
Debunking insinuations that the meeting in the Government House was to woo the governor to the PDP, his Coordinator Media and Publicity, Jide Orintunsin, described the insinuation as “totally untrue”, adding: “The PDP big wigs were not in Minna Government Gouse to woo the governor to the join the opposition party.
“It was purely a private visit.
“They just came and visited.
“That is what happened.”
In what seemed to be a deprivation of the media, one of the security aides to Bello barked at reporters as they made to enter the Governors Office, saying: “All of you go back.
“All of you go back.
“This is not a meeting for press men.”
The team, which had the Taraba State Governor, Dairus Ishyaku; Abdul Ningi; Senator Ben Obi, the National Secretary of the caretaker committee, left Niger State through the Minna international airport at about 4pm.