Presidency humbled, begged PDP Governors …Breakaway Gov gives GEJ conditions
By Busolami Idowu
The dust raised by the walk-out of the breakaway faction of the PDP is gathering momentum as President Goodluck Jonathan has appealed to the governors elected on the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to stop disgracing him in public.
Jonathan’s appeal came after a closed door meeting with former President Olusegun Obasanjo when he visited Aso Rock on sunday aftenoon. Source close to NigerianEcho confirmed. Mr. Goodluck Jonathan who was visibly shaken by the walk-out is still coping with the unexpected shock he received on Saturday when seven governors broke away from the party to form a parallel PDP during the party’s mini convention in Abuja.
Following Mr. Obasanjo’s advice, The President called all the governors to a peace meeting at the Presidential Villa on Sunday night. Obasanjo who was conspicuously absent at the mini-convention was invited to the villa by President Jonathan to discuss the PDP split and seek practical and immediate and 
long term solution to the crisis.
Several sources from the presidency confirmed the presence of only 16 of the 23 governors at the meeting. Further investigation showed that several of the governors deliberately hurriedly left Abuja to avoid meeting with the President because they had envisaged that he will call a meeting.
President Jonathan, along with his deputy, Namadi Sambo and some members of the PDP leadership, arrived at the venue of the meeting at about 9.30pm met the Governors namely They were Isa Yuguda (Bauchi), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Idris Wada (Kogi), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Jonah Jang (Plateau), Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Ibrahim Shema (Katsina), Murktar Ramalan Yero (Kaduna), Garba Umar (Taraba Acting Governor), Seidu Dakingari (Kebbi), Theodore Orji (Abia), and Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe). Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (Kano)
Also present at the meeting which was held at the new First Lady’s wing in the villa were the counsel to PDP, Joe Kyari Gadzama; the National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim; and the Chief of Staff to the president, Mike Oghiadhome.
Our source confirmed that the president begged all the Governor to device another means of showing their grievances and stop the public embarrassment.
One of the President’s aides was said to have been visibly agitated when it was discovered that the breakaway faction of the party sent Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso to the meeting to offer Mr. Jonathan two conditions for before a meeting can be held with him: The conditions includes ‘step down from running in 2015, and let the party hold a fresh convention.’
Some of the President’s aides who volunteered information on the condition of anonymity said they believe there are still more of such breakaway governor who are still bidding their time. So the presidency is considering a holistic solution.
