Police break into G7 govs’ meeting We are comfortable with APC - Baraje’s group

THE G7 Governors of the new Peoples Democratic Party and  men of the Nigerian Police Force engaged in a hide and seek last night at the Kano Governor’s Lodge, repeating the drama of a week ago when the governors outsmarted the police to hold their meeting in the Capital City.

The governors and some leaders of the new PDP had quietly assembled at the Kano Lodge to continue their meeting  following the unresolved crisis within the ruling party.

The caucus which was split over Four options presented before it was said to have deliberated on the stalled peace talk with the mainstream PDP . The talk had been suspended following requests of the two sides to perform holy pilgrimages in Saudi Atabia and Israel.

The other issue said to  have dominated the meeting  was the open invitation being extended to some of its governors by the leaders of the APC.

The APC in continuation of its recruitment drive is also visiting Governor Rotimi Amaechi today (monday) .

Nigerian Tribune learnt that 30 minutes into the meeting, a man in a polo shirt, with Igbo day inscribed on it, entered the Kano gov’s lodge.

He was said to have identified himself as the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Asokoro and revealed that he had instruction to stop the meeting at the Kano lodge.

The governors apparently got wind that the DPO was outside and asked that he be brought inside the meeting hall.

It was gathered that about 10 minutes later, the DPO came out of the meeting hall and left the Kano lodge.

 He was reported to have left after he was  briefed about the private nature of the meeting.

While the group  through its spokesman, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, again accused the police of attempting to disrupt its meeting, a top police officer in the Capital City said there was no truth in the report.

An officer who craved anonymity  because he was not authorised to speak on the matter said  the officer was sent to ascertain the nature of the meeting going on within the Lodge.

“You are aware of a court ruling on the PDP crisis. Our role is to ensure that no illegal meeting is held . We did not send the officer to go and disrupt the meeting”, the officer said.

Those who attended the meeting include the Chairman of the group, Alhaji Kawu Baraje,  the governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu; Rivers Governor, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, Govs., Sule Lamido of Jigawa, Murtala Nyako of Adamawa, Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso of Kano, the party secretary, Chief Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Alh. Kashim Imam, Senators Aisha Alassan, Danjuma Goje, Abdullahi Adamu, Bukola Saraki, former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, Sam Sam Jaja, former governor of Ekiti, Chief Segun Oni and the Nat. PDP Vice President, Northwest, Amb. Ibrahim Kazaure.

Meanwhile 4-truck loads of battle ready policemen were stationed on the road leading to the lodge.

Kwankwaso, Shekarau may battle for senatorial seat  •We’re comfortable with APC - Baraje’s group  •Rivers govt, PDP disagree over APC leaders’ visit
AS the All Progressives Congress (APC) perfects its strategies with the Abubakar Baraje-led group, Kano State governor, Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso and a former governor of the state, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, may have to battle over the Kano Central senatorial seat.

Checks by the Nigerian Tribune showed that prior to the PDP crisis, both men were preparing for the senatorial battle on different platforms, a situation that will change if Kwankwaso eventually defected to APC.

In a related development, as the Kwankwaso/Shekarau feud deepens, former Sokoto State governor, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, has warned against imposition of Sokoto State governor, Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko, on the state chapter of APC, saying whoever wanted to join the party should go to his ward.

The anger within the Shekarau camp was said to have intensified after the Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, declared last week in Kano that if Governor Kwankwaso joined APC, he would be handed the leadership of the party in the state.

The camp of Shekarau, at a caucus meeting held after the APC delegation left Kano, was said to have described the statement as “betrayal and bad politics.”

While Shekarau boycotted the visit of APC leaders to Kwankwaso, Bafarawa also said Sokoto APC did not receive General Buhari and others because the state chapter of the party was not informed of their visit.

“If they impose Kwankwaso on us, we will reconsider our stay within the APC. Mallam Shekarau is calming us, urging us to be patient, but if the Buharis made the mistake of imposing the governor on us, we will take new political decision,” a source close to Mallam Shekarau said.

The rivarly between Kwankwaso and Shekarau, it was found, was not just about their governoship battles, but the ambition of both men to go to Senate in 2015.

Prior to the rupture within the PDP, Kwankwaso was said to be oiling his political machine for a shot at the Senate, while Shekarau was said to have launched his bid for the Senate since he lost the shot at the presidency in 2011.

It was, however, not clear whether Shekarau would yield to pressure from emissaries of the PDP promising to offer him the Kano Central ticket if he crossed over to the PDP.

It could also not be confirmed whether Bafarawa would accede to alleged invitation being extended to him by some friends of the National Security Adviser.

We’re comfortable with APC - Baraje’s group
The Baraje-led group has dropped hints of its willingness to consider defection offer from APC, declaring that it is comfortable with APC.
In a statement signed by its publicity secretary, Chief Chukwuemeka Eze, the splinter group, however, said it had not foreclosed ongoing reconciliation talks with the mainstream PDP.

Admitting that the increasing closeness between their leaders and those of APC had raised questions in the minds of many Nigerians, the group said the chemistry between the team and that of APC, led by General Muhammadu Buhari and Senator Bola Tinubu was, indeed, unmistakable.

The group cited open invitation to G7 governors by APC and affirmed that “all these visits to our state governors simply show our new status in the politics of Nigeria as the new bride of Nigerian politics and we hope to play the role as expected of us as we hold the key to Aso Rock in 2015.”

The group noted that the presence of APC and their leaders in large numbers at the Sokoto State University inauguration was a positive development, stressing that “it is a good example of politics of tolerance and cooperation, which we consider necessary if the country is to experience peace and tranquility.”

Meanwhile, the leadership of PDP in Rivers State, on Sunday evening, accused the state governor, Rotimi Amaechi, of devoting N500 million to mobilising a crowd to receive leaders of APC to the state.

State chairman of PDP, Felix Obuah, at the inauguration of the Grassroots Democratic Initiative (GDI) in Eleme, also alleged that the governor had instructed that the crowd be rented from neighbouring states.

In a reaction, the Chief of Staff of the Rivers State Government, Tony Okocha, wondered how it would be possible to pull such amount of money in the current banking system

He invited Obuah and his comrades to the airport to identify those they claimed had been hired from neighbouring states.
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