LAGOS
— President Goodluck Jonathan, weekend, met with national leader of the
Action Congress of Nigeria and former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju
Bola Tinubu behind closed doors.
The
meeting in State House, Marina, Lagos took place as President Jonathan
returned from Ivory Coast where he joined other regional leaders for an
emergency summit of the Economic Community of West African States,
ECOWAS.
Jonathan consults with Tinubu
The
Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has, however,
dismissed any political benefit for Jonathan from associating with
Tinubu, describing the former Lagos State Governor as more of a
liability than an asset for the President’s political calculations.
A reliable source told Vanguard that
besides Tinubu, others at the meeting were Governor Babatunde Fashola
of Lagos State; the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu and former Speaker
of the House of Representatives, Mr Dimeji Bankole.
The
meeting followed increasing talks on the President’s future which has
seen a number of his associates advocating a second term for Jonathan
who first stepped into office in 2010 to complete the four-year tenure
of his former boss, late President Umaru Yar‘Adua.
Weekend’s
meeting aroused interest in political circles following speculations
that Asiwaju Tinubu, just like Jonathan, could also be contesting the
next presidential election in 2015.
Lagos PDP reacts
Reacting
to the meeting, the Lagos State PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr Taofik
Gani, said even while he was not in a position to confirm the motive
behind the meeting, he nevertheless affirmed that the party in the state
would not be deterred in its resolve to claim the state come 2015.
Gani
said: “PDP is not a party of vendetta as far as we are concerned. I am
not in a position to confirm the motive behind the meeting, but I know
that there are other national pressing issues. For instance, the issue
of Boko Haram warrants everybody to join hands to fight. I remember
recently that the former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu
said something on that and so the President must have come to meet him
to see whether he has any position on that.”
While
appealing to the president to tread with caution, he said: “It is a
risky position if the president has come to see Tinubu regarding 2015.
The President may have met a liability rather than an asset in the
forthcoming election. The truth is that the Lagos PDP is better
positioned that we do not need anybody outside the party to win
elections.
“However,
the Lagos PDP expects that whatever lobbying any member of the party is
involved in will not override the interest of the party. In Lagos PDP,
it is our interest to claim Lagos State from ACN and so, we will not
compromise and jeopardize that interest.”
It
would be recalled that the president had, recently, told an Abuja High
Court that the provisions of the 1999 constitution pertaining to his
chances to contest the 2015 election were clear.
Vanguard Nigeria
