Following his return from the United Kingdom, Governor Amaechi called on Aso Rock to attend high-level peace talks with President Jonathan. The meeting which was reportedly facilitated by a group of five Northern governors, who were also in attendance, took place on Friday evening.
According to a source with knowledge of the talks, the governors postponed their trip to Saudi Arabia to be part of the discussion.
Said the source: “Following the advice of the five northern governors, Amaechi accepted to meet with the President on the security and political situation in Rivers State
“I think there is peace in sight because the President hosted Amaechi on Friday night in an atmosphere devoid of security intimidation when the Rivers Governor attended a dinner a few weeks ago at the Villa.
“The mood between the President and Amaechi was reconciliatory. But Amaechi asked the President to allow the five Northern governors, who are brokering the peace talks, to be part of a meaningful discussion or reconciliation plan to resolve the crisis in Rivers State.
“The President obliged the governor’s request to pave the way for another round of peace session on Saturday.”
One governor also briefing journalists said, “Some statesmen and the five northern governors have set the agenda for peace. They wanted the differences between the President and Amaechi handled beyond trading blames.
“They believe that an outright solution to the crisis would be better than addressing sentiments that had dominated the political space in the last two months. Once they are able to secure the commitment of President to peace, other stakeholders would be brought into the deal.”