Ex-president meets rivals
FORMER president Olusegun Obasanjo has been appointed the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) special envoy to Cote d’Ivoire.     
                                         
Presidential Spokesman, Ima Niboro, confirmed the appointment, saying it was to advance the quick resolution of the crisis arising from the November 28 presidential elections.                                             
According to Niboro, “yes, it is true. Former president Obasanjo is ECOWAS special envoy to Cote d’Ivoire.”                                                     
Obasanjo played a leading role from 2000 to 2005 in resolving crises.

Meanwhile, in line with his new role, Obasanjo has visited Cote d’Ivoire, and held a private meeting with the country’s defiant president Laurent Gbagbo in a final effort to get him to cede power after losing the recent election.

Associated Press (AP) was present when Obasanjo arrived at the Pullman Hotel surrounded by bodyguards. He declined to comment and was whisked away to his suite on the hotel’s 9th floor, where he spent around an hour before re-emerging to head to the presidential palace.

Gbagbo has remained in office, insisting that he won – a victory handed to him by the head of the constitutional council, a member of his inner circle, who cancelled votes from his opponent’s strongholds.

The spokesman for Alassanne Ouattara, who is considered to be the legitimate president-elect after results issued by the electoral commission, said that Obasanjo came to meet with Ouattara immediately after leaving the palace.

Ali Coulibaly, the spokesman, said that Obasanjo saw both leaders a second time yesterday.

The international community has been unanimous in recognising Ouattara as the winner of the election because the results issued by the electoral body were certified by the United Nations  (UN) in accordance with a 2005 peace deal. The UN sent over 900 observers who fanned out across the country to watch as the votes were cast and who later reviewed results poll station-by-poll station.

While Gbagbo continues to occupy the presidential palace, Ouattara has been forced to live in a hotel guarded by some 800 UN troops. Over Christmas, Gbagbo’s troops sealed the exits to the hotel and refuse to let anyone in or out. Reporters and diplomats, as well as provisions, are brought in to him via a UN helicopter that lands on the hotel’s lawn.

So far, four African presidents have come in to see Gbagbo, but all attempts at mediation have failed. He is now being threatened by the 15-member regional bloc of West African countries known as ECOWAS, which has warned that if he does not step down he could face a military ouster.

A close adviser to Ouattara said that Obasanjo is coming to carry a message from the government of Nigeria, whose current president is the chairman of ECOWAS.

The bloc is scheduled to meet soon to decide whether or not to go ahead with a military intervention.
The adviser said that Obasanjo – a former military strongman – carries weight when matters of force are in question.

“In diplomacy you can say things very nicely. Or you can say it by being mean. He is here to say it in the mean way,” said the senior aide to Ouattara, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.

With every passing weeks since the election, the international community has turned up the heat on Gbagbo, including slapping a visa ban on him and 50 of his closest associates, barring them from travelling to Europe and the United States (U.S.).

He has turned his back on the world, and even refused to take telephone calls from U.S. President Barack Obama, who tried at least twice to call him from Air Force One, according to the State Department.

Experts say the only way to make him leave may be through force, but observers question whether the military arm of ECOWAS has the manpower and the sophistication to carry out a so-called ‘decapitation strike.’ A second issue is whether ECOWAS will go ahead with a move that could lead to mass casualties.

The lynchpin in the decision is Nigeria, which has one of the largest standing forces in the region and whose troops have been sent to intervene in other regional conflicts including the Liberian civil war.

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=35057:ecowas-names-obasanjo-special-envoy-to-cote-divoire&catid=1:national&Itemid=559

when it gets tough,call baba iyabo

~Bluetooth:

when it gets tough,call baba iyabo

tell me about it,,, that man is tough even at his age

Now they call in the bad guy

alj harem:

tell me about it,,, that man is tough even at his age

Na today ? that man has been tough since the biafra days .

solution will come out of that place sharp sharp

Jack Bower to the rescue

When the going get tough, solution will always be there and baba is the solution.

jikings:

Jack Bower to the rescue

ROFLMAO

Obasanjo? Mr Third Term?

Shior!


I dey laugh oo.

OBJ should go and look after his health.
All these power-hungry big men sef.
They dont know how to say: that's it, i need to wind down and just chill.

ola olabiy:

Obasanjo? Mr Third Term?

Shior!


I dey laugh oo.

and what does this have to do with him being an envoy to ivory coast ?

Baba Iyabo only needs to eat pounded yam with that Gbagbo guy and the next thing is that the guy will find himself ousted.

Gbagbo is in BIG trouble 'cos Baba will only behave like a snake and wont even use force. One thing is sure: result we now come out the Baba way.

Rejoice Cote D'ivoire solution is near. For good or for bad.

U just have to give it baba iyabo - gbado or gbade (whatever his name is) will forever have sleepless night after his encounter with Papa and i am not referring to Pastor Adeboye.

You are rest assured that the next thing to follow is the Ecomog invasion of Ivory coast.  GEJ is unavailable at the moment due to his many ongoing internal battles.

I give gbado only 12 hours and watch if the man will not step down unconditionally.

Baba get mouth outside naija

okeymadu:

Baba Iyabo only needs to eat pounded yam with that Gbagbo guy and the next thing is that the guy will find himself ousted.

Gbagbo is in BIG trouble 'cos Baba will only behave like a snake and wont even use force. One thing is sure: result we now come out the Baba way.

Rejoice Cote D'ivoire solution is near. For good or for bad.

that one na osoba style.the mumu dey play local ayo with baba inside house and hin don lose election taytay.

~Bluetooth:

and what does this have to do with him being an envoy to ivory coast ?

Because Gbagbo learnt from him.

So, what is he going to say? Leave? Stay?

If I're Gbagbo, I'd get some Waffi boys to whooz am slap.

ola olabiy:

Because Gbagbo learnt from him.

So, what is he going to say? Leave? Stay?

If I're Gbagbo, I'd get some Waffi boys to whooz am slap.

this one pass wafi level. . .

if you insist that gbagbo learnt from obj,i'd say the teacher is only going to ivory coast to put some senses into the brain of his wayward pupil. 

Nobody made him a special envoy. It was his personal decision to pokenose and show himself as someone 'special'.
OBJ can never be a special envoy in a matter that Kofi Annan has intervened already.
Special envoy ko, special envoy ni

this almost took too long,what were they thinking? or planing to achieve without baba on issues like this

baba na baba

alj harem:

Ex-president meets rivals
FORMER president Olusegun Obasanjo has been appointed the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) special envoy to Cote d’Ivoire.     
                                         
Presidential Spokesman, Ima Niboro, confirmed the appointment, saying it was to advance the quick resolution of the crisis arising from the November 28 presidential elections.                                             
According to Niboro, “yes, it is true. Former president Obasanjo is ECOWAS special envoy to Cote d’Ivoire.”                                                     
Obasanjo played a leading role from 2000 to 2005 in resolving crises.

Meanwhile, in line with his new role, Obasanjo has visited Cote d’Ivoire, and held a private meeting with the country’s defiant president Laurent Gbagbo in a final effort to get him to cede power after losing the recent election.

Associated Press (AP) was present when Obasanjo arrived at the Pullman Hotel surrounded by bodyguards. He declined to comment and was whisked away to his suite on the hotel’s 9th floor, where he spent around an hour before re-emerging to head to the presidential palace.

Gbagbo has remained in office, insisting that he won – a victory handed to him by the head of the constitutional council, a member of his inner circle, who cancelled votes from his opponent’s strongholds.

The spokesman for Alassanne Ouattara, who is considered to be the legitimate president-elect after results issued by the electoral commission, said that Obasanjo came to meet with Ouattara immediately after leaving the palace.

Ali Coulibaly, the spokesman, said that Obasanjo saw both leaders a second time yesterday.

The international community has been unanimous in recognising Ouattara as the winner of the election because the results issued by the electoral body were certified by the United Nations  (UN) in accordance with a 2005 peace deal. The UN sent over 900 observers who fanned out across the country to watch as the votes were cast and who later reviewed results poll station-by-poll station.

While Gbagbo continues to occupy the presidential palace, Ouattara has been forced to live in a hotel guarded by some 800 UN troops. Over Christmas, Gbagbo’s troops sealed the exits to the hotel and refuse to let anyone in or out. Reporters and diplomats, as well as provisions, are brought in to him via a UN helicopter that lands on the hotel’s lawn.

So far, four African presidents have come in to see Gbagbo, but all attempts at mediation have failed. He is now being threatened by the 15-member regional bloc of West African countries known as ECOWAS, which has warned that if he does not step down he could face a military ouster.

A close adviser to Ouattara said that Obasanjo is coming to carry a message from the government of Nigeria, whose current president is the chairman of ECOWAS.

The bloc is scheduled to meet soon to decide whether or not to go ahead with a military intervention.
The adviser said that Obasanjo – a former military strongman – carries weight when matters of force are in question.

“In diplomacy you can say things very nicely. Or you can say it by being mean. He is here to say it in the mean way,” said the senior aide to Ouattara, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.

With every passing weeks since the election, the international community has turned up the heat on Gbagbo, including slapping a visa ban on him and 50 of his closest associates, barring them from travelling to Europe and the United States (U.S.).

He has turned his back on the world, and even refused to take telephone calls from U.S. President Barack Obama, who tried at least twice to call him from Air Force One, according to the State Department.

Experts say the only way to make him leave may be through force, but observers question whether the military arm of ECOWAS has the manpower and the sophistication to carry out a so-called ‘decapitation strike.’ A second issue is whether ECOWAS will go ahead with a move that could lead to mass casualties.

The lynchpin in the decision is Nigeria, which has one of the largest standing forces in the region and whose troops have been sent to intervene in other regional conflicts including the Liberian civil war.

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=35057:ecowas-names-obasanjo-special-envoy-to-cote-divoire&catid=1:national&Itemid=559

mikeapollo:

Nobody made him a special envoy. It was his personal decision to pokenose and show himself as someone 'special'.
OBJ can never be a special envoy in a matter that Kofi Annan has intervened already.
Special envoy ko, special envoy ni

you are one of the evidence of the falling standard of our educational system.can't you read ? ode

mikeapollo:

Nobody made him a special envoy. It was his personal decision to pokenose and show himself as someone 'special'.
OBJ can never be a special envoy in a matter that Kofi Annan has intervened already.
Special envoy ko, special envoy ni

even your hatred for baba will not reduce his personality anyday,anytime, abi you don forget say baba no bi ur type,abeg sip small shekpe make u reason well, respects elders and achievers well

~Bluetooth:

that one na osoba style.the mumu dey play local ayo with baba inside house and hin don lose election taytay.

very funny, i dey laugh

Power broker Baba Iyabo.
Obj u too much.

http://www.livestation.com/channels/3?youtube_video=http//www.youtube.com/v/hXB89pVKIM8%26feature%3Dyoutube_gdata_player

@op Gbagbo's time is up? Says who?   most ppl advocating for military action are only making noise, Ghanian president has already backed out of this option. Nigeria has about 2 million of her citizens living in Ivory coast while Ghana has about 1 million, only a foolish government will embark on this type of suicide mission. Gbagbo is aware of this fact and coupled with the kind of support he's currently having within the Ivorian army I'm sorry I don't think there's any end in sight to this impasse.

tunnytox:

@op Gbagbo's time is up? Says who?   most ppl advocating for military action are only making noise, Ghanian president has already backed out of this option. Nigeria has about 2 million of her citizens living in Ivory coast while Ghana has about 1 million, only a foolish government will embark on this type of suicide mission. Gbagbo is aware of this fact and coupled with the kind of support he's currently having within the Ivorian army I'm sorry I don't think there's any end in sight to this impasse.

oya. . .the last option against gbagbo is military action but that will only come after the exhaustion of all diplomatic avenue.so stop all these your

owanbe analysis .

good for the man

~Bluetooth:

that one na osoba style.the mumu dey play local ayo with baba inside house and hin don lose election taytay.

lol

Even Okadigbo and Audu Ogbe never recovered from their last meal with Baba Iyabo

i will always admire OBJ,
though he has his shortcommings, (we all have)

u cant take his image and composure from the dude,

he is cool

Omo buruku mani ijo tie
Meaning : bad pikin dey get him day

Ecowas is as sick as nigeria for recognizing d relevance of a rogue and number election manipulator like obj