Connect with us

Politics

2019: 24 APC govs endorse Buhari, may back Oshiomhole chairmanship bid

Published

on

2019: 24 APC govs endorse Buhari, may back Oshiomhole chairmanship bid

President Muhammadu Buhari’s declaration to seek for a second term as Nigeria’s leader on Tuesday received a boost at a closed-door meeting he had with governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

This was as the 24 governors of the party gave him their assurance by endorsing his re-election bid.

The development was made known to State House correspondents by the chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) and Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha after emerging from the meeting with Buhari.

“We came to welcome the President back and to commend him for his boldness and courage to declare his intention to run for second term as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which we the 24 governors of the APC duly support.

“And we have come to encourage him that he must go ahead with his vision,” Okorocha said.

The governor further disclosed that they also used the meeting to talk about the issue of the party’s national convention slated to hold on May 14 and the party ward, local and state congresses.

Nothing that the meeting resolved to make the forthcoming exercise hitch-free, Okorocha added, “We also agreed that we will not allow the issue of many contestants destroy our party.”

On whether the meeting endorsed former Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, as its next national chairman, the Imo State governor said that the public would be duly briefed in due course.

Meanwhile, a presidency official had earlier on condition of anonymity, told newsmen that one of the Major reasons the governor’s called for the meeting was for President Buhari to seek their support to ensure that Oshiomhole succeeds John Odigie-Oyegun as APC’s next national chairman.

READ ALSO: $462m FIGHTER JETS: Reps threaten to impeach Buhari

Oyegun, also a former governor of Edo State, is yet to declare if he would be seeking re-election as the chairman of the party.

He had however on Tuesday, while responding on the issue of split in South-South over who to support between him and Oshiomhole, told newsmen in Abuja that the purported endorsement of Oshiomhole was childish.

Four out of six APC South-South state chairmen had on Monday refuted an earlier report that the zone had endorsed Oshiomhole as the party’s next national chairman.

RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears

Click here to join the Ripples Nigeria WhatsApp group for latest updates.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now