Obasanjo, IBB in secret meeting   
 By Olusola Fabiyi, Abuja     
 Saturday, 31 Jul 2010    
                      
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and ex-military dictator, General Ibrahim Babangida (retd), met in Abuja on Thursday over the 2011 presidential election.

The meeting, which took place at the Wuse 11 residence of Babangida, was held behind closed doors.

Sources close to the meeting, however, told our correspondent on Friday that Obasanjo asked Babangida to drop his presidential ambition in the interest of the nation and to prevail on some northern governors who on Tuesday voted to support zoning at their meeting held in Kaduna to change their stance.

Although Babangida was said to have been non-committal on Obasanjo’s request that he should drop his presidential ambition, he was said to have told his guest that it would be difficult for him to convince all the states in the north to jettison zoning.

It was also learnt that as a follow up to the meeting, Obasanjo agreed to meet with key northern traditional rulers on the need to prevail on their subjects to forget zoning for now ”in the interest of the nation.”

A source, who did not want to be named because the discussions at the meeting were not meant for public knowledge, said, ”The meeting was held at Wuse 11, and it was between the two former presidents, Obasanjo and IBB (as Babangida is popularly called).

”The aim of the meeting was to ask IBB to drop his presidential ambition as Obasanjo was said to have explained that the ambition was not in the interest of the nation.

”Not only that, the two statesmen, especially Obasanjo, were said to have opined that the resolutions of the northern governors were not in the interest of the nation, and that the two of them must find a remarkable solution to the logjam.”

Our correspondent also learnt that before the meeting, Obasanjo had met with President Goodluck Jonathan at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa where the two leaders appraised the impact of the resolutions of the northern governors on the President‘s ambition.

It was at this meeting that the idea of Obasanjo meeting with Babangida was said to have been muted.

Although details of Jonathan’s and Obasanjo’s analyses of the northern governors‘ resolutions when the two met were sketchy at press time, the President was said to have agreed that there was a need for what the source called ”extensive consultation with stakeholders from the north.”

This, it was gathered, might delay until a later date in August Jonathan’s public declaration of his decision to contest for the presidency on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.

The 19 northern states on Tuesday openly disagreed over the adoption of the zoning formula of the PDP for the 2011 presidential election.

At the meeting of the governors held in Kaduna, 10 states voted for zoning while seven states voted against it.

The states that declared support for zoning were Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Gombe, Jigawa, Niger, Kwara, Borno and Kano. Two of these states, namely Borno and Kano, are being governed by the All Nigerian Peoples Party.

The governor of Kano State, Mallam Ibrahim Shakarau, had before now campaigned against zoning, just as he is campaigning to be the ANPP presidential candidate.

However, seven of the northern states voted against zoning, stressing that merit was the only way to move the country forward.

The states are Benue, Kogi, Plateau, Kaduna, Adamawa, Taraba and Nasarawa.

Yobe State reportedly abstained from voting, while Bauchi was not represented because of the death of the Emir of Bauchi.

Nevertheless, the position of the Bauchi governor, Alhaji Isa Yuguda, is well known as he has been canvassing for the dumping of zoning openly.

OBJ is at it again.He knows that if IBB causes chaos with his nonsense, and helps a smarter government to come into power.Him and his fellow looters will be in big trouble and pay for their crimes.lol!Maintain the status quo abi? Would really love for IBB to run and be rigged in, so that real trouble will begin.It will be fun to see Nigerians fight or remain cowards.

@tewmuch

When and how did you get the computer you are using? The Impudence of a Dying cockroach. Run back to the jungle you can from. headless Chicken like you.

rethink:

@tewmuch

When and how did you get the computer you are using? The Impudence of a Dying cockroach. Run back to the jungle you can from. headless Chicken like you.

Of last 36 years OBJ and IBB have ruled 20years between them , it is not surprising that Nigeria has been looted to death.
Both are western stooges and pleasing their western masters and having western support seem to be more important to them than pursuing Nigeria's best interests.

between them they could have looted trillions of Niara (as much as $75bn).

Tewmuch , you are spot on; these 2 thieving fools , fear the likes of Gen. Buhari getting into power as they know they would end their days in prison.

TewMuch:

OBJ is at it again.He knows that if IBB causes chaos with his nonsense, and helps a smarter government to come into power.Him and his fellow looters will be in big trouble and pay for their crimes.lol!Maintain the status quo abi? Would really love for IBB to run and be rigged in, so that real trouble will begin.It will be fun to see Nigerians fight or remain cowards.

@ rethink, don't speak or reply if you have no command of the English language.With the way you replied,you must have a brain the size of a mustard seed. You have shown that you lack any kind of intellectual ability, and are totally incapable of making a sensible argument.Be gone, daft baboon. Your username should be your watch word, rethink before posting and spouting trash. Retarded, dirty mouthed, uncouth Arrow.