Former President Olusegun Obasanjo
A former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, and Governor Martin Elechi of Ebonyi State met for over two hours on Wednesday on issues bordering on Saturday’s governorship and state House of Assembly elections in the state.
It was learnt from sources in the state that the meeting, which held at the Government House in Abakaliki, the state capital, had only two of the governor’s aides in attendance.
But a source close to the governor denied knowledge of such meeting, saying, “I heard Obasanjo was in Ebonyi State to visit his in-laws, but I am not aware that there was a meeting between him and the governor in the Government House.”
However, a former commissioner confided in our correspondent that the former President, whose son’s wife hails from Elechi’s hometown in Ikwo Local Government Area, did not want his visit to the governor to be made public.
However, the former commissioner stated that Obasanjo’s visit to the state was aimed at stopping the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party and the incumbent Deputy Governor, Mr. Dave Umahi, from emerging victorious in Saturday’s elections.
He said, “Obasanjo is not pleased with the kind of treatment being meted out to his contemporary and friend, Elechi, by the PDP. He is not pleased that Elechi’s candidate and a former Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, was denied the Ebonyi PDP governorship ticket.
“He is also not pleased with the crisis that has engulfed the state in general since after the ill-fated Ebonyi PDP primaries and has come to ensure that Elechi’s wish prevails.”
It will be recalled that while Elechi is still a member of the PDP and supported the re-election bid of President Goodluck Jonathan, his aides defected to the Labour Party where they were campaigning against the PDP in other elective positions. They only campaigned for Jonathan’s re-election bid.
However, The PUNCH recalled that Elechi was conspicuously sidelined at President Jonathan’s campaign rally in Abakaliki recently.
The governor, who has lost control of the PDP structure in his state, was not given an opportunity to speak at the rally, which held at the Abakaliki Township Stadium.
Meanwhile, in a live broadcast to the people of the state on Wednesday, Elechi warned against manipulation of Saturday’s elections.
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