The Punch reports that the immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday met separately with a former military dictator, Ibrahim Babangida, and a former military Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, at their Hilltop residences in Minna, the Niger State capital. It was gathered that Jonathan arrived Babangida’s residence at about 11am and spent about one hour with his host before he left for Abubakar’s house situated right opposite IBB’s home.
Jonathan was accompanied to the two former Nigerian leaders by a former Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda, from Zamfara State and his former Chief of Staff, Chief Mike Oghiadome, from Edo State. Babangida received Jonathan in his private living room as against the common visitors’ room located downstairs where he usually received ordinary visitors.
The details of the discussions between the former Nigerian leaders were not made known to journalists. But it was gathered that IBB and Jonathan held a closed-door meeting for about 50 minutes. While the meeting was going on, it was gathered that Yuguda and Oghiadome were left at the living room downstairs.
Sources hinted that despite the fact that the details of the meeting with IBB was not disclosed, the discussion might not be unconnected with the President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war and how it had been affecting Jonathan’s relations, particularly his wife, Patience.
Unconfirmed sources added that the meeting might have discussed the postponed Edo State governorship election, the 2019 general election as well as the state of affairs in the People Democratic Party. It was also learnt that the duo of IBB and Abdulsalami in the separate meetings with Jonathan raised concern over the spate of bombings going on in the Niger Delta by the Niger Delta Avengers and the need to stop the trend.
It was observed that while the meeting lasted at both residences of the two former leaders, visitors were not allowed into the houses. Jonathan left Minna at about 1pm.