Obasanjo, Buhari shun council of state meeting

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, ex-Head of State, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari; and Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, were absent from Tuesday’s  National Council of State meeting in the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Although Amaechi, through his Chief Press Secretary, David Iyofor, said he could not attend the meeting because he  was out of the country, Obasanjo and Buhari  gave no reason for their action.

Obasanjo and Buhari had for long stayed away from the NCS meetings which last held almost 11 months ago.

The council, which has President Goodluck Jonathan as chairman, and his deputy, Namadi Sambo, as deputy chairman, is made up of all former Presidents and Heads of Government, all former Chief Justices of Nigeria,  the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives,  all the 36 state governors,  and    the Attorney-General of the Federation.

Three  former  Heads of State – Generals  Yakubu Gowon,  Ibrahim Babangida  and Abdusalam Abubakar – as well as former President Shehu Shagari and  the  Head of the Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan, were however in attendance at the meeting which lasted over six hours.

The council has the constitutional duty  of advising the President in the exercise of his powers with respect to national census, prerogative of mercy, award of national honours, the Independent National Electoral Commission, the National Judicial Council  and the National Population Commission.

It also has the responsibility of advising the President whenever requested to do so, on the maintenance of public order within the federation or any part thereof.

Before the NCS   rose, it  approved the planned national conference scheduled to commence later this  month and  cautioned politicians against  statements capable of heating up the polity ahead of the 2015 elections.

Based  on the briefing by the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.),  the NCS   also proposed a change in methods  of  tackling  the security challenges  in parts of the country.

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State and Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State, who  briefed  State House correspondents,  said the council described the planned national conference as a welcome development and asked Nigerians to embrace it.

Suswam said the council also approved the list of the chairman and members of the National Population Commission presented  to it by the President.

He said, “The President briefed us about the impending national conference. There were a lot of contributions  before the  council approved it.

“We were also presented with the list of the new chairman of the NPC , some new members and some to be re-appointed.

“The NSA briefed us about the general security situation in the country which many members of the council  made suggestions on  the way forward  before  decisions  were taken on how to address the security issues in the country.

“The issue of heating up the polity was part of the security briefing by the NSA. On  unguarded statements capable of inciting people, it was agreed that there was the need  for us, as major actors, to be cautious. People should avoid statements that can unwittingly divide Nigerians.”

Okorocha also disclosed that the council noted that while there was insecurity in parts of the country, the Federal Government was rising to the occasion. But he said that the council agreed that   new methods should  be adopted.

On the nation’s centenary celebrations, he said the council agreed that 100 years of the nation’s amalgamation was worthy of celebrating.

He said, “We deliberated on how to move the nation forward;  we also discussed other national issues, including the centenary celebrations, security matters and issues of national conference and how to move the nation forward.

“We have to adopt some new strategies on how to move the nation forward. Politicians have also been warned against unguarded utterances so as not to heat up the polity. The meeting has helped to resolve a lot of issues

“We have to adopt some new strategies for tackling security issues in the country. We discussed  the planned national conference which we see as a welcome development. Conference is a good development and discussions were not along party lines.”

Okorocha also said the All Progressives Congress  had  not taken a position on whether to participate in it  or not. He however assured that Imo State would  send a delegation to the conference

“On centenary message, we said that Nigeria must stay together as a nation.”

President of the Senate, David Mark; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, and four former Chief Justices of Nigeria also  attended the meeting.

Tambuwwal however left less than 20 minutes into the meeting.

A mild drama  however  played out at the venue when Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State openly, though jokingly, expressed fear that his Abia State counterpart, Chief Theodore Orji, might poison him.

According to the sitting arrangement at the venue which is in alphabetical order, the two governors always sat  side-by-side.

They both belonged to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party until late last year when Nyako and four other PDP governors  defected to the All Progressives Congress.

No sooner had they taken their seats than Nyako  declared openly that he was not comfortable with Orji sitting beside him.

He threatened that his people would drag the Abia State governor to court if anything untoward happened to him.

At a point, he requested the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim   Pius Anyim, to change his seat.

Orji, amidst smiles, however wondered why he would decide to poison his colleague now after many years of being together.

The following conversation ensued between them;

Nyako: I am telling you, don’t poison me here. I am not comfortable with you here. If anything happens to me here, walahi, my people will take you to court.

Orji: For how many years have we been sitting together? Is it this zero hour that I would poison you?

Nyako: Who knows?

When Governor Martins Elechi approached Nyako, the Adamawa State governor again said,  “I am just warning him not to poison me. Is there any law that says we should sit down together?”