SIMON IBE, Snr Political Editor and MATTHEW OGWUCHE, Bureau Chief, Abuja

Federal Government moved to address some of the logistic complaints of the confab leadership by providing four official vehicles one each for the chairman, Justice Niki Tobi, Deputy Chairman, Alhaji Sule Katagum, Secretary, Rev. Fr. Matthew Kukah and the Deputy Secretary, Mr S. Arikarwe.

Contrary to widespread belief that decisions at the confab would be solely based on ethnic or geo-political bloc interests, most of the new groups emerging are pan-Nigerian in outlook, with members drawn from the different ethnic and geo-political zones.

One of the major groups that is emerging, according to a delegate to the confab, is called The Nationalists, comprising mostly young delegates drawn from across the country, whose loyalty is largely to President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The arrowheads of this group, are alleged to be Alhaji Mohammed Waziri, chairman of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), who is also chairman of the Finance Committee of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Chief Greg Mbadiwe, a former Ambassador to the Republic of Congo, who was also a director in "Legacy House", President Obasanjo’s 2003 re-election campaign organisation.

According to the source, pro-Obasanjo delegates are coming together on the platform of the Nationalists to advance whatever agenda the president would want to pursue using the conference. Though the source could not confirm whether the president was behind the formation of the group, he said that there was nothing wrong in anybody, including the president, having an agenda for the confab and pursuing it through such platforms.

A group being put together by Dr Olusola Saraki, the convener of the Northern Union (NU), is also working at establishing a pan-Nigeria network through which the NU can bargain with other geo-political or ethnic groups to ensure that everybody and every group gets something that would satisfy the group or bloc.

The camp of the progressives are also said to have started working outside their geo-political zones’ agenda to finetune a position that would be pushed by the progressives camp at the confab.

Prior to the inauguration of the conference, the different ethnic and geo-political zones had held meetings in different locations across the country, trying to arrive at common agendas that they would canvass at the confab.

The latest development, a delegate told Daily Champion, "would represent the reality as there would be serious negotiations that most times, would result in the ethnic or geo-political agenda giving way to a pan-Nigeria, ideological or class interest."

Hearkening to the demands of the confab leaders, government admitted that they needed working tools to enable them perform well.

The vehicles were routed via the office of the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief Ufot Ekaette.

Spokesman of the SGF, Mr Eric Teniola, confirmed that the four official cars have now been provided for the chairman, his deputy, the secretary and his deputy.

Teniola also disclosed that almost all the other requirements demanded by the delegates are now ready ahead of their resumption on Monday.