Oyegun acknowledges Aso Rock visit but denies being part of Osinbajo’s meeting with Sheriff

The All Progressives Congress national chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, has distanced himself from a purported meeting with sacked national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.

Sheriff was reported to have on Thursday visited Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo at Aso Rock Villa and had a closed-door meeting with him and Odigie-Oyegun.

However, in a statement by the APC national publicity secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, released on Friday in Abuja, he acknowledged that the party chairman was actually at the Aso Rock Villa but neither visited Osinbajo nor had a meeting with him and Sheriff.

“Following Thursday’s visit of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun to the Aso Rock Villa, the attention of the party has been drawn to surprising speculations in some sections of the media on the visit.

“For the records, the APC national chairman only met with the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari. He was not aware neither was he part of the reported meeting between the Vice President, Osinbajo, SAN and a former national chairman of the PDP, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.

“The APC national chairman did not visit the vice president on the day in question and has equally not met Senator Ali Modu Sheriff in over two years,” the statement stated in part.

Read also : El-RUFAI: The buzz word is ‘Restructuring’ but APC set to deal with ‘True Federalism’

It added that “linking the APC national chairman’s visit to the Aso Rock Villa to media reports of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff’s plans to join the APC is an effort to cause confusion and disaffection in the party in Borno State. It should be noted that the membership of the APC is negotiated at the ward level of intending entrants, irrespective of status.

“The party hereby calls on its members, stakeholders and indeed the general public to disregard the speculative report”.

There are widespread speculations that the said meeting was not unconnected with APC’S efforts to woo Sheriff to join the party ahead 2019 general elections.

By Ebere Ndukwu …

 

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