Obasanjo meets with Atiku and Secondus to finalise anti-Buhari campaign strategy

FORMER president Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has held another meeting with his ex-deputy Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman Prince Uche Secondus in Abuja to strategise on how they will win the next election.

After Alhaji Abubakar emerged as the PDP's presidential candidate, he immediately went to Abeokuta to meet his former boss and get his blessing. Chief Obasanjo pledged to support his former vice president in next year's elections, agreeing to bury any past differences they may have had while in office.

Yesterday, they met again for a second time to review the ongoing zonal campaigns of the PDP, which are a precursor for the state-by-state campaigns soon due to follow. Also, Chief Obasanjo used the opportunity of the meeting to settle the rift between Atiku and a former Adamawa State governor Admiral Murtala Nyako , who was a member of the PDP before he defected to the All Progressives Congress.

However, instead of returning to the PDP like Atiku after their disagreements with the national leadership of the ruling party, Admiral Nyako and his son, Senator Abdul-Aziz Nyako, joined the African Democratic Congress. Apart from Admiral Nyako, it was also learnt that Chief Obasanjo also intervened in the alleged misunderstanding between Atiku and his former aide Dr Umar Ardo.

One source privy to the meeting said: “It was a family and an elaborate meeting. Baba  Obasanjo is a fantastic leader and I have never seen such a man who combines energy with intellect and political sagacity.

“He spoke at length to everyone, including Atiku and others that were there. He has successfully settled the rift between Atiku and Nyako and the disagreements between Atiku and Ardo., so now, we have Adamawa to take because all the power brokers are behind us.”

Meanwhile, opposition political parties have expressed doubt over the readiness of President Muhammadu Buhari to accept the outcome of the 2019 presidential election whichever way it goes. Last week, foreign affairs minister Geoffrey Onyeama, said the 2019 election was not a matter of life-or-death for President Buhari because he would be happy to accept the verdict of the electorate.

However, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance in separate interviews said there were no proof so far that President Buhari would do as Mr Onyeama promised. SDP publicity secretary Alfa Mohammed, said Mr Onyeama's statement was contrary to an earlier one made by interior minister General Abdulrahman Dambazzau.

Mr Mohammed recalled that General Dambazzau had been quoted as saying that the presidential candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, would suffer a bloody nose in the election. He said the statement by General Dambazzau, whose ministry is in charge of internal security, was an indication that the government was ready to unleash security agents on the opposition.