From John-Abba Ogbodo and Pascal Nwigwe (Abuja)

The Guardian learnt that the meeting, which was at the instance of the President, was called because of the recent development in the National Assembly in respect of the debate on the proposed tenure of the president and state governors. Although the meeting was yet to commence as at press time, sources said that the main agenda was the way and manner the debate had gone so far.

The major concern of the Presidency, The Guardian learnt, was the language used by the lawmakers in both chambers during contributions to the debate. The Presidency was said to be uncomfortable, especially with the session of the House of Representatives last Thursday when some members used unprintable words on the Presidency. The session was brought to an abrupt end when the Speaker, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari, was summoned to Aso Rock.

It was also learnt that the meeting was billed to get the governors to talk to their members in the National Assembly to tone down the language in their subsequent contributions. The threat to the third term project in the National Assembly , it is reasoned, is a collective threat.

Most of the state governors were in Abuja last night for the meeting.

Meanwhile, lawmakers in support and those opposed to the plot last night continued their separate meetings to work out strategies that could help their causes.

A member of the anti-third term group, Farouk Lawan, told The Guardian that although the project had died, they would still not leave things to chances hence the latest meeting. "We are confident that the third term project has failed and as a matter of fact, it is dead. We still do not want to leave anything to chances and that is why we continue to meet to ensure that it does not resurrect. We have rejected it, and Nigerians have spoken through us, that it is unacceptable to them," he said.

A chieftain of the pro-third term group, John Halims Agoda, said the end of the debate would tell Nigerians whether the amendment of the constitution is desirable or not.

"Anybody can say what he or she likes. That is the beauty of democracy but the majority will always have their way. The debate is going on and members are expressing their views and at the end of the debate, we shall vote and you will see the people who are in the majority and any individual saying we are in the majority", he said. The debate on the constitution amendment bill continues today in the House.

And as a fall-back strategy to salvage the campaign for three terms of four years for the President, agitators for the amendment began intensive lobbying at the weekend to persuade their colleagues opposed to the project, to instead, support elongation of tenure.

Third term opponents in the lower house, who spoke to reporters yesterday in Abuja, predicted failure for the plan of elongation, which they described as the President's plan B. The representatives, who claimed to have been approached, explained also that the proponents of the elongation ploy were seeking an extra two years or in other words, a single term of six years for the office of the President.

According to Emmanuel Arigbe-Osula, former Deputy Leader of the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) in the House, the plan is predicated on the belief that some progressive northern political leaders who opposed third term would be willing to trade in an extra two years for the President in return for presidential office at the end of the two years.

He said: "If they accept it, then they will have insulted their region and the people they represent as well, just like some of us from the South-East and the South-South have insulted our people and our region by going along with this nonsensical third term agenda.

"Why would the President or anybody want or even imagine that another of their countrymen can solve the nation's problems in six years. Why will a man who was asking for eight years plus four or more, wake up all of a sudden and want to think that another man can solve those problems in just six years? This is selfish agenda and it's all about the President and all the promises of state creation for the South-East and increased derivation for the South-South were all parts of the deception," said Arigbe.

Also predicting failure for elongation by two years, Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi said that there is no such proposal in the constitution amendment bill and that any such alteration will have to pass through the National Assembly.