Yar’Adua, Atiku in secret talks

Idowu Samuel, Abuja - 25.11.2007

Indications have started emerging that both President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar have started closing ranks.

A top ranking member of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) is said to be facilitating the new development, having reportedly convened a meeting in his house located at the GRA kaduna about two weeks ago.

A Kaduna-based scholar, Murtala Atai, hinted Sunday Tribune of the meeting between Yar’Adua and Atiku, disclosing that the two had held fruitful talks likely to smoothen the relationship between them.

Both Yar’Adua and Atiku have been referring to each other as brothers with emphasis that the issues on the controversial April presidential election were not enough to sink the long standing relationship which had existed between them.

Atai said based on the new understanding between Yar’Adua and Atiku, some developments would be recorded in the next few weeks meant to prove that “things have started happening”

Media consultant to the former Vice President, Mallam Garba Shehu claimed ignorance of the meeting between his boss and President Yar’Adua, although he said the two were scheduled to meet in Abuja three days earlier.

Mallam Shehu said there was no big deal in the possibility of a meeting between the two as, according to him, the president and Atiku have been meeting and talking on a constant basis.

He affirmed that both leaders would have met and held discussions as scheduled but for the alteration in the itinerary of the President who had to travel to Kampala, the Ugandan capital mid last week.

There has been apprehension in the political circles in Nigeria over the fate of the Yar’Adua government in the face of the pending cases at the election tribunals across the federation which many believe may not be favorable to the PDP-controlled government at the federal level and in some states.

Only recently, the former National Chairman of the PDP, Chief Audu Ogbe alluded to the pressure being mounted by supporters of President Yar’Adua on the former vice president to withdraw his petition at the tribunal.