In their acclaimed bid to rescue Nigeria’s democracy, four northern governors on Saturday visited the Second Republic Vice President, Alex Ekwueme, at his residence in Abuja.
The governors – Sule Lamido (Jigawa State), Musa Kwankwaso (Kano), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) and Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto)- all members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, reportedly arrived Mr. Ekwueme’s Asokoro District, Abuja residence at about 4 p.m. and held a closed-door meeting with the former vice president for close to two hours.
Details of the visit were still sketchy as none of the governors reportedly agreed to speak with the media after.
Mr. Ekwueme, a founding member of the ruling party served as vice president in the civilian administration of former President Shehu Shagari.
The governors, alongside their Niger State counterpart, Babangida Aliyu, now performing lesser hajj in Saudi Arabia, had visited some past leaders of the country in the last two weeks.
Among those that have played host to them are former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former military president, Ibrahim Babangida, former head of state, Abdulsalam Abubakar.
Last weekend, the four governors also met with President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja while they met with Mr. Shagari in Sokoto last Wednesday.
Reports say the governors are billed to meet with former Defence Minister, Theophilus Danjuma, all former Senate Presidents, former Speakers of the House of Representatives and all former Chairmen of the PDP.
Mr. Lamido had dismissed those insinuating that their mission was targeted at the PDP leaders, saying those doing so “were trying to take the wind out of our sail.”
“Nigeria is bigger than any individual. Our mission is to salvage the current situation and save our nascent democracy from imminent collapse.
“We are people with rich political history. We know where we are coming from, (and) as such we will do everything to ensure that democracy survives in this country. We struggled to come about this democracy. In fact, some of us paid with our lives. Therefore, we must rise up to the challenge,” he said.
However, the Presidency had accused the governors of harbouring hidden agenda, saying the professed desire to resolve the crisis in the Rivers State chapter of the party was a ruse.
“These governors have their own agenda. They have already set the agenda long before now,” the Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Doyin Okupe, told journalists in Abuja.
“They are just using the River State scenario as an excuse. Whatever the agenda is, they know and God knows, but this continued move and perambulation show that there are things they are not telling us.”
The PDP national chairman, Bamanga Tukur, had also on Wednesday criticised the governors and warned them to beware of their utterances which he said could overheat the polity.
He condemned their calls for him to quit as the chairman of the ruling party.
Mr. Tukur, who is currently in Saudi Arabia, reportedly denied approving the statement which was issued on his behalf by his media aide, Oliver Okpala.
Source: Premium Times
