Fears Over Obasanjo’s Visit to Rivers

[Richard Akindele]

President Olusegun Obasanjo's visit to Rivers State yesterday has been generating fears among top Northern politicians who believe that it might be part of a calculated move to deprive their area of the opportunity of presenting the next President of the country.

The tension generated by the presidential visit was heightened by feelers of a top level meeting of South-south zone political leaders scheduled to hold in Port Harcourt today.
According to a source who spoke to THISDAY on phone yesterday from Kaduna, northern politicians who were expecting that Obasanjo would fight back after the defeat of the third term agenda in the National Assembly believe the visit to Rivers State may be part of efforts to encourage the South-south zone to bid for the presidency in 2007.
Though Obasanjo's visit was said to be for the purpose of performing the foundation laying ceremony of a peace monument to be built in memory of late Ogoni activists and leaders, including minority rights champion, Ken Saro-Wiwa, it is believed that the President held a top level meeting with River State Governor, Dr. Peter Odili and few other South-south leaders.
Northern political leaders yesterday talked of the possibility of the President's visit to Port Harcourt and his discussion with Odili being the motivating factor for today's meeting. The Northern leaders were afraid that Obasanjo's visit could be to instigate the South-south against their traditional northern political allies in the battle for 2007 presidency.
"We know that the president's visit was not scheduled. We know Obasanjo could not ordinarily have visited Ogoniland for the purpose of laying a foundation for a monument. We believe it is a politically motivated visit and we will be watching closely the aftermath of the visit", said a top politician from the North-west zone in Abuja yesterday.
Many of the Northern politicians were afraid that Obasanjo who at the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday in Abuja preached reconciliation as an aftermath of the acrimonious third term debate, may still be on a vengeance mission to deal their geo-political area for the virulent attack on his person during the third term saga.
There were also indications that the visit might have allowed Obasanjo and Odili to reconcile as many in Aso Rock suspected the governor did not wholeheartedly support the 3rd term bid of the president.
Odili was suspected by some presidency apparatchiks of putting his own presidential aspiration ahead of the 3rd term project and therefore failed to use his influence to woo support for the project when it mattered most. For instance, the governor’s failure to use his influence to persuade the Managing Director of Daar Communications, Dr. Raymond Dokpesi to stop his Television station’s damaging broadcast of the third term debate indicated Odili reluctance to help the success of the tenure elongation project when it mattered most.
The President’s visit was therefore seen as a strategic move to reconcile with an old political ally.
There have been speculations that President Obasanjo would favour a South-south candidate to succeed him if he cannot secure an extension of his tenure. Some believe that Governors Odili of Rivers State and his Cross Rivers counterpart, Donald Duke are his favourites.
Obasanjo had at the PDP national convention early in the year said the South-south zone presented a position paper to him on the need to concede the chance of producing the party's next presidential candidate to their zone. He said he found the submission of the zone logical and tenable.
THISDAY gathered last night that some leaders of the South-south geo-political zone have concluded arrangements to hold an emergency meeting today in Port Harcourt to strategise for the 2007 presidential elections with the intention of presenting a Presidential candidate on behalf of the zone.
Speaking with THISDAY on telephone last night, Mr Joseph Evah of the Ijaw Monitoring Group (IMG) however said the Port Harcourt meeting is a faction of the leadership of the South South Peoples Assembly(SSPA) "which has no mandate to take a position on the presidency on behalf of south south at the moment."
Evah added that the entire Ijaw nation is opposed to today’s meeting because the timing is unacceptable and suspect. Evah who said he was speaking on behalf of the Ijaw accused Odili of facilitating today’s meeting to further his presidential aspiration.
As at last night some political leaders were said to have already arrived Rivers State ahead of today's meeting. Some have chosen to boycott the meeting. Among those who are said to be opposed to the meeting holding today is Chief E.K.Clark, leader of the Ijaw who is currently holidaying in the United States.

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