Hide and seek! That aptly captures the processes that led to a closed-door meeting between President Goodluck Jonathan and former President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
A top supporter of Jonathan told Vanguard at about 8.30 p.m, yesterday, that “the meeting is holding now” and declined further comments. An unconfirmed report last night stated that the General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye and the Founder, Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo, were part of the meeting, which began at 7 p.m, last night.
The presence of the religious leaders as witnesses, sources said, was part of the conditions Obasanjo gave to hold any talk with President Jonathan. The media was awash with expectation and anxiety over what the outcome of the two leaders’ meeting would be. Obasanjo, recently came down hard on Jonathan accusing his administration of squandering $55 billion crude oil savings and reserves. Jonathan had in turn promised to expose what former leaders and heads of state failed to do while in office that stunted the country’s socio-economic growth. He later added that some leaders were behaving like motor park touts, a comment that was perceived to be aimed at Obasanjo.
However, Obasanjo attended President Jonathan’s niece’s wedding in Abuja, weekend, and was well received as he had warm handshakes with President Jonathan and his wife, Dame Patience Jonathan. Thus, it was not surprising that the speculated Abeokuta meeting raised hairs. At press time, yesterday, there were different reasons the meeting could not hold during the day. One account said the meeting could not be held in the afternoon because President Jonathan snubbed Obasanjo. Another account said the former president avoided the president by leaving his house where the meeting would have been held on hearing that Jonathan had arrived in Abeokuta.
The hide and seek game
Indeed, the former President left his palatial Hilltop building in Abeokuta, immediately Jonathan arrived the state capital. Obasanjo who was driven out in his black SUV and one security Hilux van, shunned his main entrance and made use of his private gate.
Vanguard was at Obasanjo’s house to cover the expected meeting between the two leaders and observed that some security personnel who had been detailed at the former President’s house suddenly disappeared. A source close to Obasanjo’s Hilltop mansion in Abeokuta had earlier confided in Vanguard that President Jonathan was not in Obasanjo’s itinerary for the day.
He also hinted that Obasanjo jetted out around 2: 59 p.m few minutes after the helicopter that flew the President to the state, touched down. Operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS) who had earlier besieged Obasanjo’s Hilltop mansion as early as 6a.m in anticipation of President Jonathan’s arrival also left the place at exactly 3.10p.m when it became obvious that Jonathan was not coming.
Jonathan, however, arrived at the M.K.O Stadium in Abeokuta at exactly 3.50p.m and headed straight to the state box from where he later moved out to acknowledge cheers from the crowd who had thronged the stadium venue of the campaign as early as 7. 30a.m.
