ILL HEALTH: Jonathan Postpones Meeting With Rebel Governors

President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday postponed his peace meeting with the seven aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party governors which was earlier scheduled for Sunday.

Jonathan, who arrived the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja from London around 7pm attributed his action to jet lag and “health challenges.”

But The PUNCH however gathered   that pressure from political hawks  made the President, who was in  London  for  the 15th meeting  of Nigeria’s    Honorary International Investors’ Council, to postpone the meeting.

It was learnt in Abuja that the hawks within the PDP,  who insisted that Jonathan should shelve the meeting,    also   wanted   the four suspended  leaders of the New PDP- Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola,  Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, Dr.  Sam Jaja and Ambassador Ibrahim Kazaure -  expelled from the ruling party.

Our source said  this could happen on or before Friday this week.

A reliably PDP source told one of our correspondents on Sunday that the need to have an enlarged secret caucus meeting with the President on the modalities to be adopted before taking a final decision on   “Oyinlola and others ” was  responsible for the President’s decision to shelve the Sunday meeting.

Some of the rebel governors  were said to have  arrived  in Abuja before the postponement  was announced  by Jonathan.

The President  became indisposed and had to be treated for severe abdominal pains while in London .

He had   missed  the opening of the London meeting based on doctors’ advice that he should take some days’ rest.

However, he   gave an indication  to  journalists on his arrival that the meeting with the rebel governors  might hold within the week.

The President said the peace moves would continue since political discussion is a continuous process.

Jonathan said, “I don’t think I will be able to hold any meeting.You know six hours’ flight is quite a distance and also following from my health challenges;  but we will meet.”

When asked specifically on the next meeting date, the President said, “I don’t know. I am just coming in. I believe within the week, we will be able to meet.

“Politics is about discussion. We belong to the same political party. Even people from different political parties engage in political discussion  and  you know political discussion  is a continous process. So we will continue to discuss.”