Inside details of what was discussed between President Muhammadu Buhari and the governors elected under the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday, have begun to emerge.
On Tuesday, Buhari, shortly before he jetted out to Nairobi, Kenya to attend a four-day international summit, met with the governors of APC at the State House, Abuja. The meeting comes as the party is planning to hold its national convention on March 26, 2022.
Sources privy to the meeting said the governors met with Buhari to change his mind on his choice of a concensus candidate for the position of the national chairman, a position vacant since the sack of former governor of Edo State, Adams Oshimole.
During the meeting, the governors were said to have enumerated reasons to the President to throw the position open to party members and as well dump Abdullahi Adamu as his preferred consensus candidate for the national chairmanship.
Adamu is believed to be enjoying Buhari’s support as the candidate to emerge as the National chairman of the party.
However, Buhari was said to have bluntly refused to change his mind.
Governors present at the meeting include; Aminu Masari of Katsina, Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna, Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti, Yahaya Bello of Kogi, Hope Uzodinma of Imo, Gboyega Oyetola of Osun, Dapo Abiodun of Ogun, Abubakar Bello of Niger, Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano, and the deputy governor of Anambra State, Nkem Okeke, among others.
Shortly after the meeting with the President, the APC governors further went into a closed-door meeting at the Kebbi Governors’ Lodge, Abuja.
Though the details about the meeting remains sketchy as of press time, the governors were believed to have deliberated on the stance of Buhari to have Adamu as a concensus candidate.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, Kebbi State Governor, Abubakar Badugu debunked notions that the Progressive Governors Forum was still divided over the issues of zoning ahead of its national convention.
According to him, the governors are united and are behind the President and the party in general.
“There’s no altercation, I’m not aware of any. Mallam Nasiru (Kaduna State governor), again last week, answered that look, if by altercation people are talking about differences of opinion before a decision is arrived at, then maybe, that is what people can…but as a body, the 22 governors of APC are united behind the party and Mr President,” he said.
