Tambuwal, Lamido shun N’West PDP leaders’ visit to Jonathan

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, and Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, on Thursday shunned a  visit by   leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party in  the North-West   to President Goodluck Jonathan.

Sources however said their absence from the meeting   might not be unconnected  with their  perceived opposition to the running of the PDP at the national level and in their respective states.

  Lamido  is one of the seven PDP  rebel governors who sought the removal of Bamanga Tukur as the national chairman of the ruling party.

Five of the G-7 governors defected to the opposition All Progressives Congress, but the Jigawa governor elected to remain in the PDP with his Niger State counterpart, Babangida Aliyu.

   Tambuwal   is from  Sokoto  which is one of the states in the North-West .

Although the speaker’s media aide, Imam Imam, said he (Speaker) “travelled  out of the country, “  a source at the meeting said his absence was not justifiable.

“The speaker was aware that a delegation from the North-West was to meet with the President today (Thursday). So I wonder why he isn’t with us,” he added.

The Jigawa State chapter of the PDP, however,   said  Lamido and  its other leaders  were not  invited to  be part of the delegation to the Villa.

The state Secretary of the party, Alhaji Aliyu Tukur Gantsa, said, “We were not invited. I can tell it was not a meeting with PDP leaders in the North-West.

“Maybe it was a meeting between the President and some people from this part of the country.

“Because you cannot talk about the PDP not only in the North-West but in Nigeria and not involve Alhaji  Lamido.”

 The North-West leaders  who  visited  Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja  were   led by a former National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Haliru Bello.

Among them were  Governors Ramalan Yero  ( Kaduna);   Ibrahim Shema (Katsina);  Seidu Dakingari (Kebbi);  and the Sokoto State Deputy Governor, Mukhtar Shagari, who led other PDP  bigwigs to the Villa. Others were from   Zamfara State.

    Jonathan   used the opportunity of the PDP leaders  visit to fault  the claims by some people that he  was anti-North.

He listed some of the areas where his government had done well in the North to include road infrastructure, railway, agriculture and education among others.

 He  said he intervened massively in the educational development of the region because of his strong belief that education  was  the first step to emancipate people.

The President   regretted that most times, people sold the wrong idea to foreigners  that he did  not want to develop the North.

He said he had taken time to explain to some envoys that if he was  against the North, he wouldn’t have established nine federal universities in the northern states.

The President said, “If  I am against them would I have done that? The issue of Almajiri education, if I am against the North, would I have encouraged that we work with the governors to provide for  quite a number of children who are out of school?

“We can go on and on but this is not the time for that because all these are blackmail, political blackmail.”

The President  also faulted media reports that only N2bn  was budgeted for the North  this year.

“I read an article in the paper where somebody said government has budgeted N2bn for the North? How can a government budget N2 bn? That was seed money. In some northern states alone, we are intervening with N14bn  which I have approved.”

He said by the time the security challenge in the north  was  resolved,  Nigerians would see how much his administration had  transformed the economy of the country.

 Jonathan,  however,  commended the party chiefs for their  visit   and reminded them that  once they remained   united, no party would be able to displace the PDP in their  zone.

PUNCH NG