24 governors support President’s second term bid, says Okorocha
Former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole looks set to become the next national chairman of the the All Progressives Congress (APC), with the majority of the governors elected on the platform of the ruling party backing him.
At a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Villa last night, the governors, led by Progressives Governors Forum Chairman Rochas Okorocha, proposed to the President their interest in the former labour leader.
Sources at the meeting said the President did not object to the request.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha and Chief of Staff to the President Abba Kyari also attended the meeting.
Seventeen governors attended. Two were represented by their deputies.
Seven governors: Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos), Ibrahim Gaidam (Yobe), Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa) and Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), were absent.
The issue and the endorsement of the President for second term by the governors were the only isues discussed at the meeting held at the First Lady’s Conferemce Room, sources said.
The party’s national convention to pick members of the National Working Committee (NWC) will hold in Abuja on May 14.
After the meeting, Okorcha said all the 24 APC governors were backing President Buhari’s second term bid.
The President at the last APC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, declared his intention to seek another term.
Okorocha said governors communicated their support for the President’s reelection.
He said: “We came to welcome him 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,” he added.
According to him, the meeting also addressed the coming convention and congresses to make it hitch-free.
”We also agreed that we will not allow the issue of many contestants to destroy our party.” he said.
Asked if Oshiomhole’s endorsement came up, Okorocha said the public would be “duly briefed in due course”.
