BREAKING: Obasanjo, Buhari Absent at Nigeria’s Council of State meeting

Adamawa governor jokingly tells colleague not to poison him.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Head of State, Muhammadu Buhari, were on Tuesday conspicuously absent at the Council of State meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa.
The constitutional Council of State meeting, which is chaired by the President, is supposed to be attended by all past Presidents and Heads of States, past Chief Justices of the Federation, the 36 state incumbent governors, as well as the leadership of the National Assembly.
Mr. Obasanjo and President Jonathan may not be in the best of terms as both not too long ago exchanged strong worded open letters.
Mr. Obasanjo had accused the president of reneging on his promise to run for only one term as president among other accusations. The president has repeatedly denied he made such agreement with anyone.

Tuesday’s meeting, which was ongoing at the council chambers of the Presidential Villa at 12:30 p.m., kicked off at 10.45 a.m.
Governors absent at the meeting include Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Adams Oshiomole (Edo), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (Kano) and Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo).
Attendees at the meeting include former Heads of State, Yakubu Gowon, Ibrahim Babangida, and Abdulsalam Abubakar; and former Head of the Interim National Government Earnest Shonekan. Others include Senate President David Mark, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal.
Governors present at the meeting include those of Osun, Kaduna, Lagos, Ebonyi, Enugu, Cross River, Imo, Sokoto, Gombe, Niger, Jigawa, Ekiti, Taraba, Ogun, Niger, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, Abia, Nasarawa, Kano deputy governor, and Borno deputy governor.

Meanwhile a mild drama occurred shortly before the commencement of the meeting as the Adamawa State governor threw banters at one of his colleagues asking the latter not to poison him.
Mr. Nyako speaking to his Abia state colleague said “I am telling you, don’t poison me here. I am not comfortable with you here. If anything happens to me here, walahi, my people will take you to court”.
Governor Theodore Orji replied saying, “For how many years have we been sitting together? Is it this zero hour that I would poison you?”
Mr. Nyako replied “Who knows?”

The Adamawa governor then turned to Governor Martin Elechi of Ebonyi, “I am just warning him not to poison me. Is there any law that says we should sit down together?”

February 04, 2014