The Senate President, Bukola Saraki; the National Chairman of PDP, Uche
Secondus; and a presidential aspirant of the PDP, Alhaji Sule Lamido, on
Wednesday, held a private meeting in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital,
alongside other top politicians.
Saraki had on Tuesday said it was premature for him to declare whether
or not he would contest for president in the 2019 general election.
While
on his first visit to Kwara State since his Code of Conduct Tribunal
victory at the Supreme Court, he had also said it was not time for him
to declare whether he would defect to the PDP or any other political
party from the APC.
Other notable politicians who attended the
meeting behind closed doors included the Governor of Rivers state Nyesom
Wike; Kwara state Abdulfatah Ahmed; their Benue State counterpart,
Samuel Ortom; a former PDP Chairman, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, who also led
the new PDP bloc of the All Progressives Congress; and the PDP National
Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, among others.
Also
present at the meeting were the Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Aminu
Tambuwal; Senator Lawal Shuaibu; and Senator Barnabas Gemade.
According
to sources at the meeting, though some of the politicians had joined
the eighth Fidau prayer for Baraje’s late mother, Aishat, they later
converged at Saraki’s house, where they were joined by other
politicians, including Lamido, Secondus and others who reportedly could
not attend the Fidau.
The sources said they strategised on the
2019 election politicking. There were also unconfirmed reports that the
politicians discussed strategies for the speculated defection of Baraje,
Ahmed, Saraki and his loyalists from the APC to the PDP.
PDP
spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, who confirmed the meeting, claimed that
though it was a brotherhood meeting, they also discussed political
issues.
According to him, they discussed how to move Nigeria forward.
He
said, “It was a brotherhood meeting. Our leaders met and they shared
thoughts on the future of Nigeria and how to improve the living
condition of Nigerians and how to make Nigeria a better place for all to
live in.
“It was a convergence of notable Nigerians. Do not
forget that the essence of today meeting was to commiserate with Alhaji
Baraje on the death of his mother. When politicians meet, they must
discuss politics and how to improve on the standard of living of
Nigerians. It will not be wrong to say some issues were discussed.
“I do not know when Saraki and Baraje will publicly declare their defection. I cannot speak on that.”
