The trio met with the President in his office at the Presidential Villa shortly after he presided over the emergency meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
The meeting came barely a week after five northern PDP governors had a similar meting with the President where they were said to have discussed the problems in the PDP, Rivers State and general security situation in the country.
Suswam, who fielded questions from State House correspondents after the meeting which lasted for about one hour, did not reveal the discussion at the session but reacting to media speculations that some governors elected under the PDP were contemplating decamping from the ruling party, he said that it was within their prerogative to do so.
He said: “If that is the case, I am not one of those governors. So, I can’t comment on their behalf. Political party, politics is something that is very free and if people decide to change political parties, it is their prerogative to so do.
“As far as I am concerned, I am hundred percent PDP. I will never leave the party and I believe that I will stay within the party to continue to work for the party to achieve success.”
On the nationwide tour embarked upon by the five northern governors, Suswam observed that they are free to hold consultations with anyone even though he distanced himself from them, hoping that whatever they are telling those they meet is in the interest of the country.
“They are free as leaders in their own right to consult. I am not part of why they are consulting or what they are consulting for but they are going round. I also read in the newspapers and see them on the pages of newspapers. They have the right to consult.
“So, I just feel that whatever they are saying round is for the interest of the country. Because, whatever that we do as present leaders must and have to be in the interst of the country. So, I just hope and believe that what they are doing is in the interest of the country.”
Speaking on the ongoing negotiation with striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Suswam disclosed that President Jonathan will flag off some projects under the Needs Assessment of the universities which is part of the demands of ASUU.
He said the project will start with N1 billion with the hope that funds will be made available every year.
“It will start with the sum of N1 billion and we set up a wall committee which will report back to the bigger committee on Tuesday for us to be able to select universities across the six geopolitical zones where the president will decide to go and flag off projects worth about N 1 billion,” he stated.
Source: Tribune
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