PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan is wooing the opposition, in a bid to run a successful administration.

He met yesterday with leaders of opposition parties, promising not to play “politics of discrimination”, but run a “collective government”.

Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu warned that the meeting should not be seen as the end of opposition.

At the Presidential Villa, Abuja meeting were representatives of the the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), ACN, All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), All Grand Progressive Alliance (APGA) and Labour Party (LP).

The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) was not represented. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari contested on the CPC’s platform. The party is challenging the result of the April 16 election at the tribunal.

ACN National Chairman Chief Bisi Akande led other party bigwigs, including Senator George Akume, Dr Chris Ngige, the former Anambra governor who is now a senator-elect, to the meeting.

PDP Acting Chairman Haliru Bello led other members of the party.

Victor Umeh led APGA. LP National Chairman Dan Nwayanwu was there. So was ANPP’s Chief Ogbonayan Onu.

The meeting also marked the first official outing of Senator Pius Anyim, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, who took the oath of office on Tuesday.

Before the meeting went into a closed door session, the President said Nigeria’s interest was uppermost on his mind.

He urged all the political parties to work with him in building the country, stressing that Nigeria belongs to all and not to one particular person or party.

The expectations of Nigerians from political office holders, irrespective of the party, the President said, is to make life more meaningful by providing food, infrastructure, security and good governance.

The President also said that building a great nation requires the co-operation of all the political parties and leaders.

He told the party chiefs: “Let me thank you for the various roles you play in the democratic process. You are the leaders of the parties; those of us who won elections wouldn’t have won without you leaders. You gave us the positions; you are the kingmakers. So, I have to thank you for the various roles you have played.”

“As we want to start a new government, I am going to consult various groups and professional bodies and I think the first group I should consult is the political family.

“No matter who is the President; no matter who is the governor, what Nigerians are interested in is to have food on the table; there should be infrastructure; there should be security and there should be good governance. And I know that not only the ruling party alone can make this possible. For me to succeed, to give Nigerians what they want, we must run a stable government. It needs the cooperation of all the political parties, all the leaders.

“That is why I called you, to assure you that I will run a Nigerian government. I want to assure you that our interest is the Nigeria interest and I know that the interest of every politician, irrespective of the political party, is the interest of the country. I am not going to play politics of discrimination.

“I want to plead with you that I will not want to run a government of opposition party or main party; I want us to collectively run a Nigerian government. A government that will take the interest of the country at heart and work towards solving our problems, the problems that are dear to our people.

“As your members of parliament will be inaugurated next week Monday or Tuesday, I want you to impress it on them that they are coming to work for Nigeria, not necessarily for Goodluck Jonathan. Let us cooperate and work for the interest of this country. Along the line, there will be differences but the President is not God and I believe we can always resolve our differences without acrimony, without rancour and I believe that is the best way we can run the country.

“We are now talking about two countries representing Africa on the UN Security Council and people are looking forward to Nigeria because of the political crisis in Egypt.”

Tinubu said the ACN’s decision to honour the President’s invitation was not aimed at eliminating opposition, but for patriotism.

To the former governor of Lagos, there is a constructive level of criticism that can be deployed to build the country without necessarily jeopardising the position of the opposition.

In his view, opposition is not about cutlass, axe and guns, but about constructive engagement. Since elections are over, it is time to put the country’s interest first, he said.

Tinubu said the President’s intention would also determine the party’s level of engagement with the government.

He had a separate discussion with the President at the end of the meeting.

Tinubu, who was responding to questions from reporters at the end of the meeting held at the Presidential Banquet Hall, said honouring the invitation would not stop the opposition from rejecting bad polices and government.

“We are not here to eliminate opposition; we did not come here to eliminate opposition and I am speaking for my own party and not for any other party. If you are invited by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, then what he really wants is a constructive opposition. However, that does not stop you from opposing any bad government.

“The campaign is over. We are all Nigerians; patriotism dictates that you put the nation first before your personal interest. Therefore, you don’t have to look at the political partisan angle but look at the intention of the President, exactly what he wants to achieve, He is the President until maybe the judiciary says otherwise,” he said.

Tinubu described the meeting as “meaningful” and “successful”, saying that as a “nationalist, you have to respond to the call of the President and he spoke very well today; the meeting was a very successful one but that does not eliminate opposition.”

Tinubu went on: “Opposition is not about axes, cutlasses and dane guns”.

Though he refused to disclose the issues discussed at the meeting, Tinubu said the discussions were “very constructive” as they were about nation building and sustenance of democracy.