By Henry Umoru
ABUJA — AFTER distancing himself from the National Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for a long time, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, stormed the Secretariat, saying that he will continue to laugh.

Obasanjo who is the Chairman, Board of Trustees, BoT, of the party, who was clad in a blue agbada, went to the Wadata Plaza in a black Landcruiser with number plate ABJ AZ 988 KWL.

He held a closed door meeting with the PDP National Chairman, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, and other members of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party.

The former President who spent over four hours at the meeting came out at 1.45 p.m and when asked if he was still laughing he said: “Happy new year to you all. May God never take laughter out of my mouth, and out of your own mouth.”

It would be recalled that the BoT chairman had on Thursday, November 25, 2010 laughed over the emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the Northern consensus candidate.

When newsmen asked him then to comment on the choice of his former vice, he said: “I dey laugh,”  just as he refused to comment on why he was at the National Secretariat of the party.

Vanguard, however, gathered that his visit might not be unconnected with problems rocking the party in the South-West especially after the congresses with special references to Oyo and Ogun states.

His daughter, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, was reported to have shunned the PDP screening committee with plans to dump PDP for another party as part of moves to actualise her ambition of returning to the Senate.

Alao-Akala, others visit PDP National Secretariat

Also yesterday, Governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala, his deputy, Taofik Arapaja and other stakeholders in the state were at the PDP National Secretariat.

Chief Richard Akinjide, former Oyo State Governor, Omololu Oluloyo; Raji Rasaki, Senator Kamarudeen Adedibu, Jumoke Akinjide Balogun, Chief Olakojo, Oyo SSG, Dr. Dejo Raimi, Kolapo Ishola, among others were also at the party’s national secretariat.

At the time of this report, they were still at the conference hall waiting, only the governor went back to meet the National Working Committee, having come down with them earlier at 3.01 pm, and left the conference hall at 3.16 leaving Akinjide and the others behind.

…Enugu delegation too

Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime; Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu; former Governor of old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo; former Senate President, Ken Nnamani; John Nwodo; Barth Nnaji, among others from Enugu State were also at the National Secretariat of the party in a move that may not be unconnected with the lingering political crisis and congresses held in the state.

Governor Chime and the state Chairman, Vita Abba-led executive have been in a running battle with the PDP National Chairman, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo who hails from the state on who controls the Enugu State PDP structure. This has polarized the party in the last few months.

Adamawa State Governor, Admiral Murtala Nyako (rtd), was also at the Secretariat, yesterday, in a follow up to the problems from the state congress which led to the cancellation by the leadership of the party following complaints from some stakeholders.