President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria Tuesday met with governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at Aso Rock, Abuja, where he informed them of his decision to run in the 2011 presidential poll. The meeting was attended by governors of 11 out of the 29 states controlled by the PDP, with most of the absentees in Saudi Arabia on lesser hajj. Those in attendance were Governors Danbaba Suntai of Taraba, Isa Yuguda of Bauchi, Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom, Sullivan Chime of Enugu, Liyel Imoke of Cross River, Gabriel Suswam of Benue, Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta and Ikedi Ohakim of Imo. Others were Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa, Murtala Nyako of Adamawa and Akwe Doma of Nasarawa State. The details of the meeting were very sketchy last night, but THISDAY learnt that some of the governors believed the meeting should be held again next week because of the other governors that were not around. “Many are currently fasting and Sallah is around the corner, so it was reasoned that a full house is better for the discussion,” a source told THISDAY. No governor raised any issue on Jonathan’s disclosure, according to a source at the meeting which started at 4.20pm and ended about an hour later. The president was said to have reiterated his position that the 2011 general election would be free and fair. A governor was said to have raised concerns over the recent activities of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which has raided some states in recent times. Jonathan reportedly said he was not the one who ordered the raids, maintaining that he knew nothing about the visits to states whose governors are believed to be opposed to his presidential ambition. Another governor was said to have raised the possibility of a “fifth columnist” at work with the aim of painting Jonathan in bad light. Said the source: “It was recalled that when the government of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari was about to be overthrown in 1985, some fifth columnists in his government were working against him. They raided the house of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and did other things that painted Buhari in bad light just to achieve their aim. It is possible that this is the scene some people are trying to create to scuttle Jonathan’s ambition.” The meeting, THISDAY learnt, will reconvene after Sallah. Source: Thisdayonline.com