How A Mere DPO Tried To Disrupt Meeting Of G7 Governors In Abuja

Policemen drafted from the Asokoro Area Command in Abuja  disrupted a meeting by five of the seven aggrieved governors  of the Peoples Democratic Party in Abuja on Sunday night.

The policemen were led by the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the command, Mr. Nnanna  Ama.

The  rebel governors were at the  Kano State Governor’s Lodge  to meet on their grievances against the PDP  and how to marshall their points ahead of  their planned meeting with  President Goodluck Jonathan .

Those at the   meeting were Rabiu Kwakwanso(Kano), Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Aliyu Babangida (Niger), and Murtala Nyako (Adamawa).

Governor Abdulfatai Ahmed (Kwara) and Aliyu Wamakko(Sokoto) were not at the meeting.

The  meeting  was also attended by   the Chairman of the New PDP, Alhaji  Abubakar Baraje; the National Secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola; a former Governor of Ekiti State,   Mr. Segun Oni; a former Governor of Nasarawa State, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu and a host of others.

They were said to have arrived the venue in three trucks , including  a  Toyota Hilux  marked  NPF6679C.

It was learnt that they initially disrupted the meeting by asking the governors and others  at the meeting to disperse or be arrested.

It was learnt that when the  governors  insisted on continuing the meeting, the policemen moved away  but stayed within the premises of the lodge.

 Both Kwakwanso and Lamido spoke on behalf of the governors in Hausa Language.

 But  Oyinlola, who spoke in English,  said that the meeting was a mere consultation by  members of the New PDP.

The former PDP national secretary  of the PDP  said  the police held them hostage for several minutes,   adding that  they were astonished when the DPO  told them  that he was under instruction  to disperse them .

He  said, “We were holding our meeting with the governors when the DPO of Asokoro came in to say that he had an  instruction  to disperse us from holding our  meeting or else effect arrest.

“We were surprised that in spite of the fact that the consultation  on the resolution of the PDP crisis had been put on hold as a result of the pilgrimage to Jerusalem and Mecca.

“And it was made known to all Nigerians that we will continue after the pilgrimage break. It is for the continuation of the reconciliation process that we were meeting here only for the DPO to come.

“And we said okay if you had instructions that we should not hold the meeting, we were ready to be arrested.”

He said he and the governors “ felt that it was the height of impunity for a DPO to have the guts to tell a group of governors to stop meeting. ”

He said the situation was not that bad even during the military era.

Asked what they told the DPO, he replied, “We told him that we were ready for arrest and that he should go and bring his troops to do so.”

He said the DPO later walked away when he realised that the governors were adamant to continue with the meeting.

The DPO, who dressed in a T-shirt, refused to speak with journalists.