By Abiola Olawale
Garba Shehu, the spokesperson of the immediate past President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, has revealed the reason his principal was absent at the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting
Shehu, who spoke with the BBC Hausa, explained that Buhari didn’t attend the meeting, which was held in Abuja on Wednesday, due to a late invitation.
According to him, the invitation was sent on Monday but only reached Buhari on Tuesday, leaving insufficient time for him to travel from his hometown of Daura to Abuja for the event.
Despite his absence, Shehu emphasized Buhari’s continued dedication to the APC, noting that while he couldn’t be there physically, his commitment to the party remained strong as a founding member and two-time presidential candidate.
He said: “President Muhammadu Buhari is not a caucus member of the party. He was supposed to attend the NEC meeting, but unfortunately, the invitation reached him only a day before the event. Even if he owned a private jet, he could not have made it in time.
“Buhari may not have been physically present, but his spirit was with the attendees. He is and will always be a dedicated member of the APC.”
The meeting, chaired by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saw the attendance of key party figures like Vice President Kashim Shettima and National Chairman Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, though other notable members, such as Nasir El-Rufai and Rotimi Amaechi, were also absent.
