President Goodluck Jonathan has rejected the demand made by aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party governors for an end to their harassment by anti-graft agencies.
It was gathered on Wednesday that the President at a meeting with the Jona Jang-faction of the Nigerian Governors Forum on Tuesday night rejected this request by the aggrieved governors.
Our correspondent learnt that the President told those at the meeting that he would not accede to the request that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and other anti-graft agencies should not prosecute any of them, their aides or relatives.
Sixteen governors, the Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, had on Sunday night met with the President to resolve the crisis rocking the party.
Seven aggrieved governors, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and some leaders of the party had on Saturday walked out of the party’s mini convention in Abuja.
They announced a formation of a faction of the party named new PDP to protest against what they termed as the dictatorial tendency of the National Chairman, Dr. Bamanga Tukur.
At the Sunday night meeting, the Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, was reported to have accused the Presidency of using the EFCC to harass its perceived opponents.
He was reported to have cited the case of a son of his Jigawa State counterpart, Aminu Lamido, who was arrested at the Aminu Kano International Airport with foreign currency above the approved government limit of US $10,000.
Kwankwaso was reported to have said that Aminu was arrested despite the fact that he was going abroad for the medical treatment of his son.
An aide to the President, who was privy to the outcome of the meeting between Jonathan and the pro-Jang faction, on Tuesday said Jonathan insisted that the law should take its course.
The aide, who pleaded anonymity, because he was authorised to speak to the media said, “One of the demands made by the aggrieved governors was that the President should prevail on the EFCC not to witch hunt them, their relatives or aides.
“They mentioned the case against the former governor of Kwara State, Senator Bukola Saraki and Lamido’s son. Kwankwaso spoke on behalf of the aggrieved governors at the first meeting held on Sunday night.”
Calls made to the mobile telephone of the Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Mr. Ahmed Gulak, were not picked neither did he respond to an SMS sent to him.
Similar calls to the Director of Press and Public Relations to the Kano State Governor, Baba Dantiye, were also not picked. He had yet to respond to an SMS sent to him as at the time of filing this report.
Culled: Punchng