The feud between the Rivers State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Rotimi Amaechi and the Akwa Ibom State Governor and Chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party Governors’ Forum, Godswill Akpabio has brought out the peacemaker in former Kwara State Governor, Bukola Saraki as the senator reconciled his former colleagues.
Saraki, who was also Amaechi’s predecessor as the NGF chairman, was said to have extracted commitments from both men to operate on the basis of mutual respect for their offices just before PDP governors met at an enlarged session on Wednesday night.
At the meeting, Saraki urged the governors to help the party achieve stability by avoiding unnecessary media battles.
The relationship between Amaechi and Akpabio started going downhill with the creation of the PDP Governors’ Forum, headed by Akpabio, who also accused Amaechi of trying to breach the constitution of the NGF by seeking another term.
He had said, “The southern part will do two years and the northern part will do two years for equity.”
It is being suspected that Akpabio has playing the role of the hatchet man for the Presidency in its battles with Amaechi, who is rumoured to be the running mate of a proposed presidential ticket with Jigawa State Governor, SuleLamido, as the presidential candidate.
At the end of the four-hour meeting, Akpabio addressed journalists, saying the meeting was fruitful.
He said, “We received the report of the Governor Ibrahim Shema Committee on the South-West. It was an interim report; it showed clearly that a lot of work was done. All the states of the South-West met with the committee and the major stakeholders and reconciliation is in top gear.
“We are very hopeful that in the next few weeks, the full report will come out and the PDP will be fully reconciled.
“We also received a report on security of the nation from a five-man committee, which was headed by the governor of Adamawa State. It was a very in depth report.
“They X-rayed the situation in the country and also proferred major solutions that can bring the insecurity in the country to an end. We are very glad as PDP governors we are prepared to present the report to appropriate authorities, including Mr. President for implementation.”
On the 2015 elections, he said, “We looked at the situation of our party and we are very hopeful that in 2015, we will increase in number.”
However, he did not give any opportunity for questions to be asked.
Governors from Taraba, Bayelsa, Niger, Ebonyi, Abia, Kebbi, Bauchi, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Plateau, Katsina, Benue, Kogi, Cross River and Adamawa attended the meeting.
Those absent were Ramalan Yero (Kaduna State); Aliyu Wamako, (Sokoto State); Sule Lamido,( Jigawa State); Musa Kwankwaso, (Kano State); Abubakar Dankwambo, (Gombe State), and Ahmed Abdulfatah of Kwara State.
President Goodluck Jonathan was also said to have met with the PDP governors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Wednesday evening.
According to a source, the governors moved to the villa directly from the Rivers State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, where they had earlier attended the meeting of the NGF
The private meeting, said to have part of the efforts of the party at mending fences was held in one of the guest houses in the villa, was not opened to journalists.
Some PDP chiefs, led by the National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, were also said to have attended the meeting.