Sam Akpe, Musikilu Mojeed and Segun Olatunji

According to them, the camp will give a good fight against attempts from any quarter to frustrate Abubakar’s presidential bid in 2007.

They specifically said they would rebuff any possible move to remove the vice-president from office.

The loyalists spoke on Tuesday as controversial Senator, Chief Arthur Nzeribe, canvassed a parting of company between President Olusegun Obasanjo and Abubakar.

Tuesday’s statements were made against the backdrop of comments by the President on Sunday that he doubted Abuba-kar’s loyalty.

Obasanjo spoke during his monthly interactive television programme, on the heels of news of a raid by the American Federal Bureau of Investigation on Abubakar’s Washington home.

Our correspondents learnt that the leadership of Abubakar’s camp has put its members nationwide on the alert.

The members were reportedly directed to brace up for any eventuality "should there arise the need to engage the President and the PDP in a dirty fight."

There were also indications that top shots of the pro-Abubakar group were scheduled to meet in Abuja on Tuesday night, to take a stand on the Obasanjo-Atiku row.

Abubakar’s loyalists said they were bracing up for a showdown with the President and the PDP over possible impeachment proceedings against the vice-president.

The group, made up largely of members of the Peoples Democratic Movement, a bloc within the PDP, also said it would give Obasanjo a fight if any attempt was made to use the instrumentality of power to frustrate Abubakar's presidential ambition.

Deputy Secretary of the group, Alhaji Umar Shittiem, in an interview with our correspondent, said, "The PDM will issue a statement on the development in the next 24 hours."

But he alleged in the interim that Obasanjo's comments did not catch the PDM unawares.

He said his group was adequately prepared "for a fight to the finish with anybody who thinks he can frustrate Abubakar."

Shittiem explained that the camp had remained calm despite moves to frustrate it out of the PDP because of its desire for peace and tranquility in the party, adding, "Nobody should mistake our peaceful disposition for cowardice.”

He added, "Nobody should think he can use the machinery of government to frustrate Atiku. We shall fight anybody who tries that to a standstill. Nigerians should be allowed to decide who governs them. We are moving into action and we are confident that nobody can frustrate us except God."

Another member of the PDM, Mr. Sirajo Marshall, said the group was watching the developments and would soon take a stand on the issue.

The disaffection between the President and Abubakar temporarily melted on Tuesday as the two met publicly for the first time since the matter blew open on Sunday.

Both leaders attended an official engagement in the President’s office at the State House, Abuja, and exchanged banters without betraying the feud between them.

Abubakar had led the visiting Prime Minister of Sao Tome and Principe, Mrs. Maria Do Silveira, to the President’s office where they both officially received the guest.

While the meeting lasted, the two leaders displayed conviviality and concealed all indications of a subsisting cold war.

President Obasanjo even thanked Abubakar for being a good host to Silveira.

The vice-president, listened with rapt attention as Obasanjo, discussed bilateral issues with the visitor.

Abubakar had on Monday hosted a dinner in honour of Silveira.

He listened intently and beamed on Tuesday as Obasanjo counselled his guest that countries in the Gulf of Guinea Commission should do all that was possible to foster peace and political stability in the region.

The President and Abubakar met, just as reports emerged that contrary to claims by the Peoples Democratic Party that it had intervened in the face-off between them, the ruling party was yet to commence any reconciliation.

Though the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. John Odey, insisted on Tuesday that the party had opened talks with the President and Abubakar on the matter, sources close to the two leaders told our correspondents that no attempt had been made.

Sources at the national secretariat of the party said the National Working Committee had toyed with the idea of an emergency meeting on Monday to enable it work out modalities of reconciliation.

The meeting did not hold and aides of the vice-president said on Tuesday that no party leader met with their boss.

Meanwhile, Senator Francis Arthur Nzeribe has said that Obasanjo and Abubakar needed to part company because their feud is not only capable of bringing government to a halt but can compromise national security.

Nzeribe, who described the development as “unfortunate,” called on the Senate to investigate the allegation of disloyalty by Obasanjo against Abubakar.

He told journalists at the National Assembly in Abuja that public name-calling was the least Nigerians expected from their leaders.

The senator, who is said to be close to both the President and Abubakar, said it was too coincidental for the news of the raid on the vice-president’s house in the United States to be published at a time both men were trading words.

Nzeribe said, "It (accusation) shows that there have been continuous feuds between both men for them to (finally) come so publicly calling each other liars.

"Somebody has to give way. I don't see what we can patch up in the circumstance. What is happening now demands a parting of company.

"I read this morning that the party stalwarts and leaders want to step in. That is not the matter for them to step into.

"This is a matter that requires Senate investigation because it affects the security of the country and the image of the country.

"The party cannot deprive Senate of its powers under Sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution. We need to investigate the matter.

"Under Sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution, we are free to investigate anything that affects good governance. And this (quarrel) affects the good governance of the country.

“What the President said amounted to calling the vice- president a liar.

"I have been waiting since Monday to see the vice-president's reaction. And I have seen none.

"I will bring a motion on this. I will. In fact, I think this deserves recalling the Senate. This is more important than asking us to come and approve ministers.”

"I am surprised that the nation is not reacting more seriously to this event because it is unprecedented.

"Okay look at what happened in South Africa between Mbeki and his vice. It made no difference of what we are seeing here and you know what was the outcome in the South African case.

Also on Tuesday, the Chairman of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, Alhaji Balarabe

Musa, described the frosty relationship between Obasanjo and Abubakar as a manifestation of the alleged third term agenda of the President.

He said that the feud was aimed at rubbishing a man (Abubakar) who was being touted by many Nigerians to succeed him (Obasanjo) in office in order to stamp out opposition.

Musa said, “We have been saying in the last two years that Obasanjo has a third term ambition and he is prepared to pursue it by any means and he has to do it because of the implications of his handover of power to anyone.

“Obasanjo has been demonstrating that everybody is dispensable irrespective of the person’s contributions to his success.

The PUNCH, Wednesday August 31, 2005