Former President Goodluck Jonathan has disclosed what he discussed with President Bola Tinubu at their meeting on Tuesday.
Gatekeepers News earlier reported that the two leaders met at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, however, the purpose of the meeting was not immediately known.
Jonathan, while speaking with journalists after the gathering, said he visited Tinubu to brief him about the planned constitutional referendum in Mali.
Jonathan is a special envoy of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), leading the mediation mission in Mali.
Mali will conduct a referendum on a new constitution on June 18.
The citizens of the West Africa country will vote to uphold the legitimacy of the draft of the new constitution. The exercise will be a precursor to the long-awaited elections scheduled for February 2024.
The new constitution of Mali significantly empowers the president of the country, as the law provides the presidency with the ability to appoint the Prime Minister and Ministers, also the power to dissolve parliament.
Nevertheless, a certain portion of the draft constitution has sparked controversy among religious leaders in the predominantly Muslim state.
They have voiced their concerns about the draft’s description of Mali as a secular state.
The former president said those are the issues he discussed with Tinubu during the meeting.
Jonathan said, “I came to brief the president on the activities of some continental and subcontinental bodies. You know, I am the ECOWAS mediator for Mali and the chairman of the West African Elders Forum.
“So, there are certain issues bordering on the continent and the sub-region that I discuss with various presidents.”
Meanwhile, after the brief with Jonathan ended, the president received some government officials, including the newly inaugurated Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
