Babachir Lawal, Dogara hold talks with Gov Wike

Ex-Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, on Saturday met with the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike.

They held a closed-door meeting at Wike’s country home in Rumueprikom, Obio-Akpor LGA of Rivers.

Dogara said the visit was geared towards finding ways to build an all-inclusive Nigeria, while he described Wike as an “indispensable” politician.

The former SGF and Dogara, while at the summit, had expressed strong opposition to the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of the ruling party.

Wike, a strong member of the Peoples Demorcatic Party (PDP), is currently at loggerheads with Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of his party.

Dogara said, “Everyone agrees with us that Governor Wike is one of those indispensable political leaders,” he said.

“For us, it is a search to build an all-inclusive Nigeria. So we feel that as part of the agenda-setting we should meet with him and that is the reason why we are here. And for the rest, whatever it is, maybe in the future we can discuss that.”

Lawal described the meeting with the Rivers State governor as a brotherly visit.

“We came to visit our brother. He is our brother. So, every now and then, the Bible enjoins you to visit one another. That is what we just did,” the former SGF said.

Lawal said the meeting is not tied to the resolution of the northern Christian leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at their summit in Abuja on Friday.

“There are many things that in the world for which you need to visit a brother; so there is nothing to do with our meeting in Abuja,” he added.