Jonathan, Buhari, Abubakar, other Nigerian leaders to hold “private” meeting

President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to meet with past Nigerian heads of states and governments at the Presidential Villa, Thursday night.

The meeting, scheduled for 8 p.m., is classified as private.

At the time of this report, it was not clear if all the former leaders were invited, and would attend the meeting.

The focus of the meeting was also not stated, but is expected to be centred on the worsening security situation across the country, particularly the threat posed by the Boko Haram insurgent group.

The meeting is coming on heels of worries expressed by Mr. Jonathan on the conduct and utterances of senior politicians which he said were encouraging terrorists and capable of jeopardising the 2015 general elections.

Mr. Jonathan said this at the All-Political Parties Summit which took place in Abuja earlier on Thursday.

“If our state enterprise fails, no political party or politician can stand it,” the president said. “Hence at a time such as this, when our existence as a nation is threatened by anti-democratic forces, we politicians and political parties must rise to the higher moral grounds in defence and protection of our existence as one nation and one people.”

Two former Heads of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Muhammadu Buhari; former Vice President Alex Ekwueme and former Chief of General Staff, Ebitu Ukiwe, attended the summit and are expected to attend the Thursday night meeting.

A former president, Shehu Shagari, was represented by his son at the summit.

If invited, other former leaders expected at the meeting would be former Nigerian leaders, Yakubu Gowon, Olusegun Obasanjo, Ibrahim Babangida, and Ernest Shonekan.