ICYMI: Ango Abdullahi meets Obasanjo over 2019 polls, killings

The spokesman for the Northern Elders Forum , Prof . Ango Abdullahi , has met with former President Olusegun Obasanjo in his home in Abeokuta , Ogun State , to strategise for the 2019 presidential election .
The meeting , which held last Thursday between the NEF Chairman, Ango Abdullahi , and Obasanjo , was meant to agree on a possible consensus candidate.
It was learnt that the parley , which also had in attendance two other NEF members, deliberated about a suitable northern candidate that could attract massive support from all parts of the country in the 2019 elections .
It was learnt that the meetings were parts of the moves to unite elders of the six zones in the country to present a common front in the 2019 presidential election.
Investigations showed that the meetings were also aimed at proffering solutions to security challenges in the country .
It was gathered that the participants discussed the future of the country under a dynamic leader and how the NEF could partner other stakeholders across the country to ensure the election of a new candidate other than President Muhammadu Buhari .
The source said , “ Ango Abdullahi actually visited Obasanjo in Abeokuta along with two other men. Their discussion , as you rightly guessed, bordered on the 2019 elections and the need to field a dynamic candidate who would be acceptable to the North and other regions of the country because the North is no longer comfortable with the current leadership. ”
Also , a top politician who wished to remain anonymous said Abdullahi had another meeting with some elders of the pan - Yoruba group, Afenifere.
He said , “Ango Abdullahi has met with Obasanjo and Afenifere as part of the efforts to save this country . They discussed 2019 elections and the recent killings which have mostly affected Nigerians living in the North.
“ I think there is a general agreement that things are not going fine and something needs to be done because both North and South are feeling the effects of the bad governance . ”
When contacted , Abdullahi said he attended both meetings alone . In a telephone interview with one of our correspondents in Abuja on Sunday, he said the meetings were parts of consultations ahead of the 2019 general elections .
Although he declined to go into details of the separate meetings, he said issues such as Nigeria ’ s security and events leading up to the 2019 general elections formed part of discussions .
In response to a question on the essence of the meeting he held with the former President , Abdullahi said , “ I just wanted to see him ( Obasanjo ) . Before then, I also met with elders of Afenifere; it is already in the papers . ”
Asked what the essence of the meeting was , he simply said , “ Consultations. ”
He was asked if he was running for the Presidency , he responded , “I am not . I did in the past when I was much younger . I am an old man now . I don’ t think I can stand the rigours of the office of the President . I have passed that age now . We are just making consultations around the country . ”
When he was asked if the consultations had anything to do with the 2019 elections , he said , “ Yes , it does. A lot of things were discussed including 2019 ; we talked about all sorts of things that have to do with the security of Nigeria and all that . Thank you . ”