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Ogbeh resorts to
prayers
� May be under arrest � PDP
decides Ngige�s fate January 4
By
Paul Mumeh
Snr
Correspondent
(Abuja)
and Segun Fatuase
Snr
Correspondent
(Lagos)
Beleaguered
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman Audu Ogbeh resorted to
prayers on Sunday as reports made the rounds that he has been placed under
house arrest.
A
siege laid by newsmen at his Abuja residence to elicit comment from him
did not yield much result, as he was said to be upstairs with a group of
pastors praying.
But
his Special Assistant (Media and Publicity) Thomson Abu denied the reports
that he was under house arrest and bared from travelling out of the
country.
He
explained that Ogbeh still keeps his retinue of security aides, stressing:
�There is nothing like that (house arrest), it is not true, to the best of
my knowledge�.
About
three hours of waiting to see the man was all futile as he embarked on a
marathon prayer session with Pentecostal pastors at his residence.
But
Ogbeh appears to be virtually under house arrest as he is reportedly
barred from receiving visitors from 6:00 p.m. till dawn. Those who visit
are screened.
Abu
indicated that Ogbeh goes out whenever he has cause to but would only be
cautious as his office demands.
It
is being speculated also that his passport may have been seized to prevent
him from travelling abroad.
The
PDP leadership is divided over his ordeal, which arose from his exchange
of letters with President Olusegun Obasanjo, published in newspapers two
weeks ago.
Although
several reconciliatory meetings have been held to resolve
it, the Presidency, it was learnt, seems to be maintaining a rather hard line on what is now
termed the �Ogbeh matter�.
Reliable
sources said Aso Rock feels that the tone and timing of his letter to the
President was rather strong and �seemed as if he was calling for a coup de tat�.
Security officials take it seriously.
Last
Thursday, the President met
with six governors at his
Otta farm to solicit their support
in removing Ogbeh, as efforts to do so through the party hierarchy
seem not to yield the desired result.
Governors
in attendance were said to have included Ibrahim Idris (Kogi State),
Achike Udenwa (Imo),
Bukola Saraki (Kwara), Ayo
Fayose (Ekiti), Donald Duke (Cross River) and Ahmed Sani Yerima
(Zamfara).
Surprisingly,
it was said that the meeting was brokered by Yerima, a member of the All
Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), after consultations with the
President.
The
governors thought they would have a one-on-one with the President.
But
each of them arrived Otta only to meet a full house which decided that the Ogbeh matter be fully deliberated at the PDP national convention next year.
Yerima
confirmed being at the meeting but declined to give details of what was
discussed. He directed us to the President.
On
the other dispute over the fate of Anambra State Governor Chris Ngige, the
President reportedly met Senate President Adolphus Wabara, PDP Board of
Trustees Chairman Tony Anenih and Ogbeh on how to persuade the governor to resign because of
the incriminating nature of
Chris Uba�s public confession
that he rigged Ngige into
office.
However,
it is said that the audience
disagreed with the
President on what to do with Uba, even as it agreed that pressure be put
on Ngige.
They
had wanted to know what would happen to Uba if Ngige is forced to resign.
The President reportedly told them he would handle the Uba
matter.
The
President was advised to toe the party line: Only the party convention can
decisively deal with the
Ogbeh issue, and PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) will on January 4,
2005 decide on whether Ngige remains
in post or is expelled.
Only
the Anambra crisis is listed on the agenda at the NEC meeting, billed for
Abuja, as explained by Abu at the weekend.
Feelers
in Abuja indicate that the powerful may have resolved to remove him by all
means, and this may be done by another group during the week if all goes
well.
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