Northern consensus group meets without Saraki, transforms to G3

General Ibrahim Babangida

The northern consensus group (G4) consisting General Ibrahim Babangida, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, General Aliyu Gusau and Governor Bukola Saraki met yesterday in Abuja without the Kwara State governor to discuss the outcome of last Thursday’s presidential primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Details of the meeting could not be obtained at press time but a source told Daily Trust that the “G4” might have transformed to “G3” “with Governor Bukola having moved over to Jonathan, leaving General Babangida, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and General Aliyu Gusau.”

However, when asked why he did not attend yesterday’s meeting, Saraki who spoke through the spokesman of his campaign organisation, Garbdeen Mohammed, said the Kwara State governor did not deliberately boycott the meeting.

He said the meeting was earlier slated for today (Monday) but later shifted forward to yesterday, pointing out that Saraki received the notice at a very short notice when he had already given a commitment to other state matters. Garbadeen said being a state governor, Saraki was also overwhelmed by the ongoing registration exercise the start of which was greeted by some hiccups.

Members of the G4, all PDP presidential aspirants had submitted themselves to a consensus arrangement worked out by nine ‘wise men’ headed by elder statesman Malam Adamu Ciroma in which Atiku emerged as the consensus.

However, only Governor Saraki could not deliver his state to Atiku in last Thursday’s primaries, something which appears to have raised some level of suspicion since both Babangida and Gusau delivered their respective states of Niger and Zamafara in accordance with their pledge to support Atiku after the result of consensus.

The former VP’s camp also said it was unaware of the reconciliation moves widely reported to have been initiated by President Jonathan.

The president’s spokesman Ima Niboro was quoted on Saturday as saying that Jonathan is meeting with Atiku, IBB and Adamu Ciroma in his effort to mend fences with the trio and their supporters because of the wounds inflicted in the build up to the presidential primaries.

When contacted, Atiku’s media aide Garba Shehu said: “We too read about it in the press.”