Dead end: Jonathan, PDP peace talks with OBJ hit brickwall

by Adeola Balogun

Obasanjo-Jonathan1

According to reports, recent attempts to get former President Olusegun Obasanjo back on President Goodluck Jonathan’s side have yielded no fruits.

The Presidency and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are said to have engaged in peace talks with Obasanjo to no avail.

The former president is said to be sticking to his guns as regards the controversial one term agreement signed by Jonathan.

The Punch reports:

The PUNCH’s investigations in Abuja on Sunday showed that Jonathan and the PDP had been reaching out to Obasanjo since last December when the disagreement between them worsened.

It was, however, gathered that the former President had not changed his position, particularly on how the PDP should be run and the need for the President to honour his alleged pledge not to contest the 2015 presidential poll.

A member of the PDP Board of Trustees, who confided in one of correspondents, said, “The Presidency and the party have been talking with Obasanjo on the need to support Jonathan; but we have not made progress. Baba is still insisting that the issues he raised in his letters must be addressed.”

Obasanjo had in a December 2, 2013 letter to the President said that Jonathan told him that he had not informed anybody that he would contest the 2015 presidential election.

The former President said he told the President that facts on the ground did not tally with his earlier promise. But Jonathan in his reply dated December 20, 2013, said Obasanjo’s claims were wrong.

A  PDP Board of Trustees member, who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the issues, said that Obasanjo’s demands, particularly on the President and the 2015 elections, were difficult to meet.

He said, “Inasmuch as we need him, we cannot meet all his demands, particularly that Jonathan should honour the so-called agreement not to contest the 2015 election.

“Baba (Obasanjo) is not happy that the party has not addressed the point he raised about the South-West PDP.”

When contacted, an associate of Obasanjo and a former National Auditor of the party, Chief Bode Mustapha, told one of correspondents that the issues raised by the former president had not been addressed.

However, a source in the National Working Committee of the party said talks were on-going on the matter.

He said, “Talks have been going on albeit informally. You will recall just yesterday (Saturday) that Obasanjo was at the wedding of the President’s daughter.

“For those of us who were there, it was obvious that when Baba held discussions with Chief Edwin Clark it was more than a social one. Our enemies will soon be put to shame because the issues are being addressed.”

The Presidency had confirmed to one of our correspondents on Friday that the President was reaching out to Nigerians, including Obasanjo on the 2015 presidential poll.

The Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Mr. Ahmed Gulak, who disclosed this did not give details of  the moves to woo Obasanjo or whether they  had succeeded or not.

 

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