Outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan and the President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari yesterday met again, the second time since Buhari was declared winner of the March 28 presidential polls.
They met behind closed doors at the New Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja. The meeting lasted about 30 minutes. The two leaders met for the first time on April 3, a few days after the election. The meeting came barely 24 hours after the joint transition committees of the two sides met to fine-tune the details of the presidential inauguration of Buhari on May 29, this year.
Gen. Buhari, arrived State House at exactly 2.57 pm in a SUV Toyota Land Cruiser with registration number Abuja ABC 329 KJ, was received by presidential aides. He was accompanied by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, and Director of Security in the APC Presidential Organization and a former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Danbazzau.
When they emerged from the meeting about 33 minutes later, the two leaders, beaming with smiles, had a warm handshake amidst television cameras. Jonathan, who spoke for the two leaders, said: “Thank you gentlemen. We have nothing to tell you today. Formally, we will take a date where the President-elect will come and I will show him round the State House.
“But today is not for that. Today, we are continuing with our conversation. So, we don’t need to worry the President-elect. You don’t need to also worry the President (referring to himself).”
Jonathan would not go into the details of their discussions. “You see that we are smiling. But I will not tell you the details in the interest of the country.” Similarly, Buhari would not make any comment on the outcome of their meeting, saying: “The President has said it all,” eliciting more laughter.
