Jonathan meets PDP caucus, labour leaders over subsidy

President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday met behind closed doors with members of the national caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party in the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Although the agenda of the meeting that started at about 4pm at House 7 in the State House was not made public, it was learnt that issues relating to the partys forthcoming national convention were discussed. A source said the President also used the opportunity of the meeting to further solicit the support of the partys leadership for his administrations various efforts aimed at transforming the economy and the nation. Jonathan called on the party members to join his administration in wooing support for the changes, especially the planned deregulation of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry in face of the stiff opposition that had greeted the move. The need for party leaders to impress it on the PDP National Assembly members to support the move was also raised. Issues relating to national security were also said to have been discussed at the meeting attended by Vice-President Namadi Sambo; the partys National Chairman, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, among others. The need for the ruling party to conduct its national convention, which will soon begin from the wards level, in a fair and peaceful manner and within the ambit of the law was also raised at the meeting. The meeting is expected to be followed by the meeting of the partys Board of Trustees members on Wednesday (today). The BoT meeting, which will be presided over by its Chairman, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, will hold at the Banquet Hall of the State House. Also on Tuesday night, Jonathan met with labour leaders over the planned removal of fuel subsidy. Those billed to attend the meeting which started at 8pm were representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress. The labour leaders had at different times expressed their opposition to the planned subsidy removal. They had expressed the desire of workers to embark on a nationwide protest to show their disatisfaction with the move. The meeting with the President was earlier scheduled to hold last week but was put off due to the absence of representatives of the TUC.
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