Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday held a meeting behind closed door with leading lights in the 2023 presidential election.
Among those the former Nigerian leader met with in UK is the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, and the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi.
Pictures emanating from the meeting showed Wike’s political allies such as Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State and Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State all attended the meeting.
Also in the meeting was former Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke, among others, who all sandwiched Obasanjo during photo session as seen by our correspondent.
This is coming ahead of similar meeting between the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party Alhaji Atiku Abubakar with the Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike and his political allies also in London later today.
Wike had earlier in the week met with the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, creating tension within the Atiku’s camp in the PDP.
Obasanjo’s meeting with the Wike camp and the presence of the Labour Party’s presidential candidate may not be unconnected with the former president’s bid to ensure Wike and his camp support the former Anambra State governor if at all he will decamp from the PDP in order not to support Atiku.
It was learnt that Obasanjo had rejected the idea of supporting Wike when he led his team to visit him in his private residence in Ota, Abeokuta in April while he had expressed support for Obi.
Although Obasanjo had ditched President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 and supported Atiku, it was after a visit from religious leaders led by Bishop Hassan Kukah, the Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Sokoto and the General Overseer of Living Faith, David Oyedepo. The duo took Atiku with them during the visit to beg for his forgiveness before he endorsed his candidacy.
The former president few months ago said one of his biggest mistakes was his selection of his Vice President, who happened to be Atiku.
As at press time, no official statement has been issued regarding the meeting. Checks by this medium did not show any scheduled meeting with Obasanjo or Obi.