TheCable

Five governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held a closed-door meeting with Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday, in a bid to convince him to join the reelection campaign of President Goodluck Jonathan.

The governors were Sule Lamido of Jigawa, a close ally of the former president; Babangida Aliu of Niger; Liyel Imoke of Cross River; Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom and Isa Yuguda of Bauchi.

They all arrived at the hilltop mansion of Obasanjo in Abeokuta at about 12:30 pm, refusing to speak with journalists before the commencement of their meeting.

In the last few weeks, Obasanjo has hosted top politicians from both the ruling and opposition parties.

Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Obasanjo said he discussed issues of national importance with his guests, adding that his recent criticism were not directed at any individual but were made in the “genuine interest” of the country.

“The issues I have raised in my public pronouncements in recent times were not to castigate anybody, not to run anybody down but out of genuine concern for this country and the present situation that we are in right now,” he said.

“We discussed about security, about the economy, about things you all know. We looked at these issues very objectively and we came to the conclusion that yes we have a bad situation but not irretrievably bad because something can still be done.

“I appreciate their coming to me because of the respect and honour for me but this task is not a task for one man, not even for one group, but all hands must be on deck. It is not a task for one man. It is a task for everyone.”