National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu on Sunday paid a visit to former President Olusegun Obasanjo in what is believed to the beginning of his efforts to reconcile the party with aggrieved members.
Mu’azu, a former governor, became the chairman of the embattled party at a period of massive defection of its members to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).
Visiting Obasanjo at his hilltop mansion in Abeokuta, Ogun State in a convoy of four cars, he had a meeting with Obasanjo in company of Andy Uba, a confidant of the former President behind closed doors.
In the meeting, which lasted for about three hours between 3.30pm and 5.30pm, sources said Mu’azu did all he could to convince Obasanjo not to jettison the party at its trying times. He was said to also remind the former president of the role he had played in the past to keep the party successful.
Sources close to Obasanjo said he did not speak much at the meeting but merely listened after commending the new chairman for starting well and reminding him of the task ahead of him.
“Yes, the national chairman met with Obasanjo today and salient issues regarding the unification of the party’s members topped the discussions.
“At this stage, the least we can do is to forego Chief Obasanjo at our own peril. He may have his shortcomings, but on issues like this, we can’t do away with him at all. This was why some of us visited.
“We also believe that through him, we can easily get back the defectors, because the gale of defection is worrisome. We are hoping that things turn out positive, because OBJ did not give us much of his words”, a party source privy to the meeting told confirmed toHuhuonline.com on Sunday evening.
Loyalists of the former president in the PDP were said to have begun consultation with the APC for a possible defection. The defection, according to sources, was delayed because not all the members of party loyal to him have agreed.
Obasanjo recently declared that he was resigning from activities in the PDP, even though he remains a card-carrying member. This, he said, was because he could not cope with Buruji Kashamu, an alleged drug baron, who heads the Southwest Zone of the PDP.
