2015: Northern Govs Meet Shagari, Ekwueme, Others

The second phase of the mission to rescue the country's democracy,
which began last Saturday, will continue next week, with five northern
governors visiting formerPresident Shehu Shagari and ex-vice
president, Alex Ekwueme.
Also, the governors will meet with former Senate presidents and
Speakers of the House of Representatives as well as former national
chairmen of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The visit,
Daily Sun learnt, is a follow up to the ones made to former President
Olusegun Obasanjo, last Saturday and to two former military heads of
state, General Abdulsalami Abubakar and Ibrahim Babangida during the
week.
Confirming the development, Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State said
that contrary to insinuations in some quarters, the governors were
billed to visit "former Defence Minister, General TY Danjuma, Ekwueme,
all former PDP chairmen, former Senate presidents and former Speakers
of House Representatives ," adding that those insinuating that their
mission was only targeted at PDPleaders were only trying to take the
wind out of our sail.
He further said: "Nigeria is bigger than any individual. Our mission
is to salvage the current situation and save our nascent democracy
from imminentcollapse. We are people with rich political history.
We know where we are coming from, as such, we will do everything to
ensure that democracy survives in this country. We struggled to come
about this democracy. In fact, some of us almost paid with our lives.
Therefore, we must rise up to the challenge."
On the attack on him and his colleagues, by the Presidency, throughits
Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, Lamido
simply said: "Okupe is trying to earn a living and so he is trying to
justify his pay and he is working dearly for it.
But let me say that as party men, we won't join issues with our
President onthe pages of the papers. However, where was Okupe and his
like when, asa party, we were struggling to make Jonathan, first as
the party's candidate and later as Nigeria's President?
Where were they? If the PDP governors had not stood their ground, will
those making noise today on behalf of our president have had anything
to hold on to? "When we talk,we should do so with decorum and some
sense of responsibility.
We should stop behaving as if we own today and that tomorrow will
never come. We should always remember that there was yesterday. If
those talking now have forgotten what happened yesterday, those
listening to them today, know exactly what transpired yesterday.
"Therefore, we should stop behaving as if we own ourselves. We may
have our plans, but we should always remember that God, our creator,
is the best of all planners," Lamido declared.