Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, visited Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in Abeokuta yesterday, describing his relationship with him as cordial

Atiku made the statement while fielding questions from journalists after having an indoor meeting with Obasanjo at his hilltop residence in Kuto.

Atiku was in Abeokuta ostensibly to settle the rift between Governor Ibikunle Amosun and Chief Segun Osoba.

Asked the plank of his discussion with Obasanjo, Atiku, a presidential aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) said they discussed several issues, including the security situation in the country.

“First and foremost, I came to pay respect to my former boss, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; and then secondly, of course, we discussed the state of the nation generally and thirdly, our relationship is extremely cordial. That’s what I can say.”

Reacting to the reported purchase of presidential nomination form for the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, Atiku said: “The more the merrier. I mean the APC is a very democratic party. So the more the merrier.”

On the possibility of reconciling Osoba and Amosun after the former had defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Atiku expressed hope in salvaging the situation, but described the rift as unfortunate.

“Yes, I’m the chairman of the South West reconciliation committee but we have also decided to set up an elders’ sub-committee of that committee to try and see if there will be what I call internal reconciliation before the bigger committee looks at the reconciliation process.

“It is regrettable; it is unfortunate but I believe it is a situation that is still reconcilable. This is a situation that has been going on for quite some time and we’ve not given up,” Atiku assured.

Meanwhile, Governor Amosun described Atiku as the kind of president the nation desires, saying his wealth of experience in governance would help the growth of the country.

“In APC, we have dependable people who are ready to serve the nation selflessly. I know that he (Atiku) would be a good leader for us in Nigeria; he knows the ropes. Nigeria can only benefit from his wealth of experience.

“We are going to capture the Federal Government in 2015,” Amosun boasted.

Some of the personalities that accompanied Atiku on the visit are Prof. Babalola Borisade, Otunba Oyewole Fasawe, Senator Mohamud Ohiare of Kogi Central, among others.

•Adapted from Newswatch Times. Photo shows Obasanjo and Atiku.

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