PDP Crisis: More Details Of Atiku’s Meeting With Jonathan Emerge

More details of the meeting between the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and former President Goodluck Jonathan have emerged.

Naija News recalls that Atiku alongside his running mate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, and some PDP chieftains had met with Jonathan at his residence in Abuja last week Thursday.

The former Vice President and the PDP chieftains had visited former President Jonathan on a peace mission following the crisis rocking the major opposition party.

However, it was learned that the move by the PDP flagbearer to enlist the support of the former President to help resolve the ongoing crisis has suffered a setback.

Speaking with TheCable, sources at the meeting said Atiku urged Jonathan to intervene in the face-off between him and five aggrieved PDP governors, popularly known as the Integrity Group.

The sources added that the former vice president said he was worried that the former President had been silent on the PDP crisis and not been participating in party activities.

Jonathan’s Alleged Grievances

One of the sources said the former President was reportedly angry because he had not been invited to the meeting of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT).

The source added that Jonathan said the party leadership and Atiku have not shown him any respect by involving him in any activities.

Jonathan reportedly reminded Atiku that he supported him fully in his presidential bid in 2019 but the candidate stopped picking up his calls after getting the ticket.

He said: “Dr Jonathan has never been invited to the meeting of the Board of Trustees.

“The party has never accorded him the respect of involving him in its activities. Now that the presidential election is close by Jonathan has suddenly become important.

“More so, those nominated by Jonathan into the 2019 presidential campaign council were not appointed. Not a single nominee of his was picked.”

Another source said Atiku was also reminded of the role he played in getting Jonathan and the PDP ousted from power by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015.

“Atiku is facing a similar rebellion now and he now wants the same Jonathan who was a victim of his own machination to help him resolve the crisis,” the source.

“Jonathan had met with Atiku at the Dorchester Hotel, London, in 2014 to solicit his help in ending the PDP crisis but, ironically, Atiku reportedly said the only condition for peace was for Jonathan to withdraw from the presidential race.

“The opinion of Dr Jonathan’s associates is that he should rather support Obi, who has always treated him with respect, than Atiku. President Muhammadu Buhari has treated Dr Jonathan with more respect than Atiku, despite going after his wife and his former ministers,” the source said.

However, one of the sources said Atiku reportedly said he was not aware of Jonathan’s complaints and that he would raise them with the party leadership.