FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo and some other Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders in the South-West have met in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital in a frantic effort to cement all existing cracks in the party.

Sources told Saturday Tribune that the meeting was held last Sunday shortly after a low- key third anniversary of a chapel located at the presidential library founded by Obasanjo.

Top among other leaders, who attended the meeting, were former PDP governors, national officers of the party and members of a reconciliation committee, headed by a seasoned broadcaster, Dr. Yemi Farounbi.

The closed-door meeting comes amid the frenzy campaigns by a battery of contestants for the office of PDP national secretary from the South-West ahead the party’s national convention in March.

Among the key conten-ders are a former Minister of Education, Professor Tunde Adeniran; a former Minister of Integration for Africa, Chief Dapo Sarumi; former Minister of Transport, Chief Ebenezer Babatope; a former Lagos State PDP secretary, Chief Tunde Daramola and PDP National Legal Adviser, Wole Oke.

The sources said the leaders expressed serious concerns on the disunity among the party leaders, which rubbed on its electoral fortunes during the last national elections and stressed the need for true reconciliation among all PDP stakeholders in the zone.

They reportedly contended that the tempo of the ongoing internal re-engineering should be encouraged and sustained so that PDP could reclaim its glory in the zone, especially against the background of pending local council polls in some states, coupled with preparations for the 2015 elections in the country.

It could not be confirmed as of press time if the issue of national secretary came up for discussion at the meeting, but the session came as most contestants for the position shifted greater attention and lobbying to the Presidency in Abuja.

The development, according to the source, followed feelers that the Presidency could have the final endorsement of the candidate for the post, based partly on inputs from PDP zonal leaders.

However, a group, which styled itself, National Initiative Project (NIP) has thrown its weight behind Professor Adeniran for the race, citing his “clinical handling of the PDP national congress held in Abuja last year.”

Rising from what it called a two-day general meeting of the members in Abuja, the National Chairman, Engineer Shehu Jubril  and National Secretary, Dr. Olu Omole, also hinged their position on what they described as the former minister’s integrity, experience, and proven records as an administrator.

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