Yar-Adua Fixes Meeting With Opposition
By Oke Epia THISDAY gathered that a letter from the President inviting AC leaders to a meeting was submitted to its National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande. A prominent leader of the party, Chief Olusegun Osoba, former governor of Ogun State in a telephone conversation yesterday confirmed that the AC has received the letter. He said the party's leadership will meet in Abuja on Wednesday to deliberate on the invitation and decide on what its response will be. It is believed that the AC meeting Wednesday will also decide on members of the delegation if it is decided that the party should honour the invitation. Though a presidency source said the invitation to AC was part of the moves by Yar'Adua to ensure that he forms an all inclusive cabinet in which opposition parties will have representatives in the government, the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) said it has not received any invitation to a parley with the President. The ANPP Chairman, Chief Ume Ezeoke, told THISDAY yesterday that the party has not received any such letter of invitation but that the leadership will "talk about it when we receive one." Also, the party's director of publicity, Ibrahim Modibo, confirmed that there have been some advances made to some party leaders about the need for them to hold discussion with Yar'Adua. Modibo who said the party has not received any official invitation added that ANPP is still pursuing its case against Yar'Adua's election at the Election Petition Tribunal. It is believed that Yar'Adua may have decided to meet with AC and ANPP leaders separately and that the decision may be the reason why the invitation to ANPP leaders has not been sent. "I think the President may want to test the waters with the AC meeting before going ahead to invite ANPP leaders. If he makes appreciable progress with AC, it will surely encourage him to go ahead in the reconcillatory moves with other opposition parties," a top Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader said. The meeting of AC leaders with the President may however not hold until after the party's presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar returns to the country on Thursday. A source confirmed that Yar'Adua has been discussing with his old contacts in the AC like former Governor Bola Tinubu, Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu and Chief Audu Ogbeh among others on the need for the party to co-operate with him in ensuring national stability and strengthening democratic institutions. THISDAY gathered that the major issues that may dominate the meeting with AC leaders are the need for them to discontinue with the on-going cases in court in the interest of peace and how they can participate in an all-inclusive government which Yar'Adua hopes to form. A source close to the President said the desire to have the imput of the leading parties in the cabinet has been one of the reasons delaying the compilation of the list of prospective ministers. Yar'Adua is also set to discuss his political reforms agenda with the opposition party leaders as a way of reassuring them of his determination to stop the repeat of the problems which attended the last elections. The President had utilised different fora at home and abroad to canvass his decision to give key roles to the opposition in his government and to reform the political process with a view to correcting the anomalies associated with electioneering process in the country. Many believe that the promises of political reforms and formation of an inclusive government have helped to thaw the ice of initial reluctance by the international community to embrace the government. Yar'Adua, during his meeting with the G-8 leaders in Germany last week, restated his determination to make political reforms, resolution of the Niger Delta crisis and improving on the energy situation in the country as priorities of his administration. |