Indications emerged at the weekend that the Presidency has started looking beyond a possible reconciliation with members of the G7 governors and the NPDP.
Sources close to the administration told Sunday Tribune at the weekend that the posture of the G7 governors had been suspicious from the start of the peace talks.
They further added that President Jonathan had been suspicious of the position of the aggrieved NPDP members from the start that the agitation was fuelled by the bid to stop him from seeking re-election.
“When the president listened to the aggrieved governors at the first meeting he had with them, it became obvious to him that there were no fundamental disagreements, but that the target of the agitators remained his seat in 2015. He, therefore, made up his mind to listen to them as much as possible and sieve any genuine request if at all,” a source said.
The source further stated that while the aggrieved governors were busy pushing out propaganda materials in the press and making frivolous demands, their posture at meetings with the president remained different.
Another source stated: “At meetings with the president, you don’t get to hear all these issues of 2015, but once they leave meetings, you see different papers postulating on their demands. What really are these demands? The G7 governors are saying something, but their leader, Kawu Baraje, is saying a different thing. The president cannot keep listening to a cacophony of voices whose agenda is clearly designed to derail his focus on good governance.”
A variety of sources spoken to around the administration, however, confirmed that the issue is clear on the direction of the NPDP members.
“They want the president’s seat, but the president is not ready to drop his ambition because of them. They want him to walk away, whereas they served two terms in their states. There is no point of convergence on this matter. When they are ready to leave, they will find their way,” another source stated.
It was gathered that the objective remains how to frustrate Jonathan’s reelection bid, something the sources said could not be compromised.
“At the meeting with the president, the G7 tabled four demands and those are the demands known to the president so far. These include stoppage of the Economic and financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from investigating governors, resolution of Adamawa and Rivers PDP crisis, resolution of the crisis in the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) and party structures. These are no issues that would warrant formation of a faction, but the underlining issue, which they cannot say clearly, is the 2015 agenda. Mr. President cannot wave off his right to a second term on the basis of all the propaganda,” a source said.
It was gathered that the Presidency had decided to look beyond the agitators and had configured a PDP without some of them.
It was learnt that while the president is disposed to accommodating two or three of the aggrieved governors, he believes that the others have no genuine issue to agitate for.
A source asked: “What would you say is the grouse of Sokoto State governor for instance? What is the real grouse of Jigawa State governor or that of Niger? These are governors who are in control of the PDP in their states and they kept talking about control of party structures. You will notice there are ulterior motives and the president is not losing sight of that.”
The source said that if the governors continued to prolong the crisis, the only option open to the PDP would be to apply the stick and create new party structures in the recalcitrant states.
“The analysis on ground remains that a majority of the aggrieved governors did not deliver for President Jonathan in the 2011 election. He lost the presidential primaries and the general election in their states. So, what is the stake they are laying claim to?”
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