Atiku, Tinubu, Hold Separate Closed Door Meetings With Obasanjo In Abeokuta

Atiku-OBJFormer Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, on Friday visited former President Olusegun Obasanjo at his private residence on Presidential Hilltop Estate, Abeokuta, Ogun State, saying the “relationship” between him and his former boss is “extremely cordial”.

Atiku, who is a presidential aspirant for the 2015 general elections on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), arrived Obasanjo’s home by 2:56pm with his entourage, which included the Director of his Campaign Organisation, Prof. Babalola Borisade and Oyewole Fasawe, an associate of Mr. Obasanjo, among others, held a private meeting with the ex-president.

After a closed-door meeting which lasted for about 45 minutes, Atiku emerged from the chamber with his host, before they went to another wing of the expansive mansion where they had lunch together.

Earlier in the day, the National Leader of the APC and Lagos State former Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, accompanied by former governor of Ekiti State and National Vice Chairman of APC, Segun Oni, also visited Obasanjo in Abeokuta on Friday and had a separate closed door meeting with him.

It was not clear what was discussed at the meeting with Obasanjo as Tinubu and Oni declined to speak with reporters before they drove off by 12:30pm.

However, Atiku, while fielding questions from reporters shortly after his meeting with Obasanjo, disclosed that they discussed issues bordering on the state of the nation.

He also lamented the defection of former Governor Olusegun Odoba of the APC to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), saying it is “regrettable and unfortunate”.

The former VP expressed the confidence that reconciliation between Osoba and incumbent Governor Ibikunle Amosun is still possible, even as he noted that the purchase of Presidential nomination form for Speaker Aminu Tambuwal by some people is a good omen.

Atiku said: “first and foremost, I came to pay my respect to my former boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo and we discussed the state of the nation generally and our relationship is extremely cordial.

“(On Osoba’s issue) I’m the Chairman of the South West reconciliation Committee (of APC) but we also had to set up and elder sub-committee of that committee to try and see if there will be what I called an internal reconciliation before the bigger committee looks at the reconciliation process.

“(His leaving APC for SDP) is regrettable, unfortunate but I believe it is a situation that is still reconcilable. This is a situation that has been going on for some time and we have not given up”.

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