• We’ll shift February 26 date if necessary
– Uzodinma
• 20,000 APC members protest alleged govs’ plan to hijack Convention
‘Seun Ibukun-Oni, Abuja
Daily Courier – Confusion has enveloped the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) days to its planned National Convention as President Muhammadu Buhari has called off a meeting he was scheduled to hold with the Progressive Governor’s Forum (PGF) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja instead jets to Brussel.
The agenda of the meeting billed for Tuesday evening was the contentious issue about the zoning of offices and consensus candidates to fill major positions at the planned National Convention of the party on the 26th February, 2022.
Daily Courier gathered that the meeting was also expected to agree, among others, the modalities for holding the convention especially the setting up of sub-committees to ensure the success of the exercise.
Most of the APC Governors were said to have arrived Abuja on Monday for the Tuesday meeting before they heard of the cancellation through the Progressive Governors Forum, which is the umbrella body of APC Governors.
Governors, who had arrived at the Presidential Villa for the meeting, which was not listed as part of the President’s itinerary for the day, include the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) Kayode Fayemi; Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum Simon Lalong (Plateau); Ben Ayade (Cross River); and Mallam Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna).
President Buhari jets to Brussel
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu in a statement anounced that
President Muhammadu Buhari will depart Abuja, on Tuesday, to join European and other African leaders as well as heads of multilateral organisations at the 6th European Union-African Union Summit in Brussels, Belgium.
The Summit which holds February 17 – 18, 2022, he said “will have the participants deliberate on themes currently affecting the world. Such areas of discussion include: Financing for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth; Climate Change and Energy Transition, Digital and Transport (Connectivity and Infrastructure); Peace, Security and Governance; and Private Sector Support and Economic Integration.
Others are: Education, Culture and Vocational Training, Migration and Mobility; Agriculture and Sustainable Development and Health Systems and Vaccine Production.
The Nigerian leader will use the opportunity of the meeting to have other bilateral engagements.”
The President will be accompanied on the trip by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Geoffrey Onyeama, Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, Minister of State for the Environment, Sharon Ikeazor.
The National Security Adviser, Maj.Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd), Director General of the National Intelligence Agency , Amb. Ahmed Rufai Abubakar and the Chief Executive Officer of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa will also be part of the entourage.
President Buhari is expected back in the country on Saturday barely a week to the convention.
An aide to one of the governors who was at the villa before hearing of the cancellation overheard his principal saying that the president shouldn’t be traveling to Europe when his house is in fire. He further explained that the sub committees required for a successful convention is not yet in place days to a national convention.
APC Convention: we’ll shift February 26 date if necessary – Uzodinma
Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has said the February 26 date for the National Convention of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is not sacrosanct.
The governor said this Tuesday while responding to questions from State House reporters after a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.
He, however, said that there was no information that currently suggested that the proposed date would be changed or had been changed.
20,000 APC members protest alleged govs’ plan to hijack Convention
Our Correspondent
Daily Courier – Over 20,000 members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have taken to a protest over alleged plot by the governors elected on the platform of the party, to jijack the upcoming national convention.
The protesters led by the APC Youth Development and Solidarity Forum, Yari Grassroot Support Groups and Al- Makura National Chairman Mandate Coalition, marched to the presidential villa Abuja to register their grievances.
They, however, praised President Muhammadu Buhari for turning away two governors who went to the villa to submit a list of their choice candidates to him for endorsement.
According to the protesters, the said governors were up for mischief in order to achieve their selfish interest.
They, therefore, delivered a letter to the President through the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, for onward transmission to the President.
Recent Comments