Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga in Nigeria ahead of Ivorian trip
By Nangayi Guyson – Abuja- Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, the African Union mediator for Ivory Coast yesterday Sunday arrived in Abuja for talks with Nigeria’s president ahead of a trip to Abidjan, a presidency source said.
“The Kenyan prime minister arrived in Abuja this afternoon for a meeting with President (Goodluck) Jonathan this evening,” the source in the Nigerian presidency told AFP.
Jonathan is the current chairperson of West African bloc Ecowas, which has threatened the use of force if Ivory Coast strongman Laurent Gbagbo does not quit power in favor of his internationally recognized rival Alassane Ouattara.
The two men were scheduled to meet in Abuja at 20:00 on Sunday. The presidency source did not know when Odinga would leave for Ivory Coast, but he was not expected there before Monday.
Odinga’s first trip to Abidjan since being appointed as mediator ended on January 5 with little tangible progress after Gbagbo failed to make good on promises that mediators said he made.
