Bola Tinubu was absent as Adamu, APC Governors met to adjust campaign list.
Newsonline reports that security operatives were on high alert at the headquarters of All Progressives Congress on Wednesday when the Deputy Director of the APC Presidential Campaign Council and seven governors met with the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu.
There was a heavy presence of stern-looking policemen roving the area as the popular Blantyre Street was cordoned off as a security measure to control both human and vehicular traffic near the party secretariat.
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There were also eight Progressive Governors Forum governors in attendance, namely Chairman of PGF and Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu; Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu; his counterpart in Zamfara, Bello Matawalle; Jigawa State Governor, Abubakar Badaru; Sani Bello of Niger State; Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje; Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong and Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State
The marathon meeting, which started at noon, ended past 6 pm.
Although the agenda of the meeting was not disclosed, sources said it might not be unconnected with the contentious 422-man list of the presidential campaign council.
After the meeting, the PGF apologised for last week’s viral letter allegedly written by the National Chairman of the ruling APC, Senator Adamu to the party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who he accused of running a one-man show.
But rising from the meeting of the Progressive Governors Forum, Presidential Campaign Council and the Adamu-led National Working Committee, PGF Chairman, Atiku Bagudu publicly apologised for the leaked letter among others, which he said were ‘mistakes.’
Addressing journalists after the five-hour political roundtable, the Kebbi governor described the letter, which he said was not authorized, as ‘unfortunate.’
He said, “We are happy that we are discussing even though there were unfortunate leaks, which the campaign council and the party have announced as mistakes that were not authorised. But I am happy that the party is solidly behind our candidate and our party and whatever leaked erroneously would soon be sorted out.’’
Adamu also addressed the media, saying the ruling party had established machinery to resolve conflictual issues to ensure “we are together on the same page with the Governors Forum, campaign council and the NWC.
When asked to disclose when the APC hopes to officially commence its campaign, Adamu called for caution.
He said, “Don’t be faster than the campaign. No matter how much in a hurry you may be, the fact of the matter is that we as a party will determine when we will do what as long as it is within the framework of INEC guidelines.”
Sources at the meeting said the gathering deliberated on the adjustment that would be done to the campaign list ahead of its final approval.
This is as the Spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress campaign council, Festus Keyamo, has admitted he is not aware of the whereabouts of their presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
This online newspaper understands that while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Keyamo also dismissed speculations that the former Lagos State governor travelled out of the country to seek medical assistance.
He pointed out that nobody made a fuss when the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, travelled to Dubai.
“Our candidate is not in the country currently and I don’t have any information on where he is. I know he will be back in a couple of days but I don’t know the particular day.
“He is also not on a medical trip; I don’t have such information. It is not true that we have not started campaigns because the candidate is sick and is not around,” Keyamo said.
When asked if the recent video was posted on social media to prove a point, Keyamo added that “As far as I am concerned it was done in real-time and posted on his Twitter handle.
“It is not to prove that he is alive, we are not trying to prove anything to anybody. Our candidate is not struggling to prove himself to anybody. People who are close to him know that he is an avid cyclist, he does that all the time, and it is his regular routine.”
