Why Jonathan went to Ciroma’s house

President Goodluck Jonathan went to the house of Northern Political Leaders Forum’s [NPLF] leader Malam Adamu Ciroma for a meeting because former Vice President Atiku Abubakar insisted on it and refused to meet the president for a one-on-one meeting after the PDP primary elections, a source close to the Jonathan camp told Daily Trust in Abuja yesterday. When the president sought to meet with Atiku recently, the former vice president who contested for the PDP’s presidential ticket with Jonathan on January 13 declined to honour the request and said he would only meet the President under the umbrella of the NPLF chaired by elder statesman Malam Adamu Ciroma.



The source said following Atiku’s posture, the President agreed to meet the group at the residence of Adamu Ciroma on Friday. Atiku Abubakar as well as former military ruler General Ibrahim Babangida and former National Security Adviser General Aliyu Gusau were all present at the meeting.

It would be recalled that Babangida did not attend the NPFL meeting last week, which issued a communiqué that re-affirmed the group’s position on zoning and stressed its rejection of the PDP’s presidential primaries.

President Jonathan had earlier courted reconciliation with the four aspirants who subjected themselves to the consensus arrangement fashioned out by the NPLF.

Kwara State governor Bukola Saraki was named as part of Jonathan’s Presidential Campaign Council [PCC] to head a certain reconciliation committee.

President Jonathan’s one on one meeting with Adamu Ciroma last Friday was the first in the past several months since the zoning debate exploded.

The source who spoke to Daily Trust on strict condition of anonymity also recalled that long before Jonathan made his formal declaration to contest for the presidency, a top leader of the PDP in the South West advised him to ensure that he met with Adamu Ciroma one on one.

The source said the party chieftain had actually given President Jonathan a list of respected politicians in the North whom he should contact, but was later surprised to discover that Jonathan failed to meet with Ciroma.

All attempts to speak to members of the Ciroma-led group failed as those who were called did not answer their calls. Also, spokesman of the Jonathan/Sambo Campaign Malam Abba Dabo could not be reached to comment on issues arising from the said meeting, including the reconciliation committee that was set up.