• Event may hold without Buhari
From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors Forum and members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) are to meet with Acting President Yemi Osinbajo to pick a viable date for the party’s National Convention.
There are, however, strong indications that the APC mid-term Convention may hold without President Muhammadu Buhari in attendance. A member of the party’s national leadership who pleaded anonymity had blamed President Buhari’s health challenge and financial crisis as the main reasons for the indefinite postponement of the convention.
“Don’t forget it is not possible for the party to hold national convention without President Buhari being physically present. The president must be part of the convention, especially to forestall the plans of certain forces threatening to hijack the party machinery.
“Now that Mr President is out of country on medical trip, we have to discontinue every arrangement about the convention until he returns in good health,” our source noted.
Speaking to newsman after the monthly meeting between the party national leadership and the progressive governors, Plateau State governor, Rt. Hon. Simon Lalong, said the final decision on the meeting would be taken when they meet with the acting president.
He said: “The purpose of the meeting was to review our party’s activities and discuss preparations for our second year anniversary. We agreed in our last meeting to be meeting every month with the party’s leadership. Today is one of those meetings and we will have another one next month.
On the convention, he said: “The issue of the national convention was raised and we had even taken a decision on it at the last meeting, unfortunately, the president is not here as the leader of the party. What we agreed was that since we have an acting president, the team which was supposed to meet with the president with suggested date will now meet with the acting president.
“This is a convention in our thinking, and we want to conduct a convention which is constitutional with the leader of the party present. Unfortunately, the time we agreed to meet with Mr President on the issue, he had to travel out,” he said.
Although Lalong admitted that APC was facing financial crisis, he said the party has overcome the challenge.
“The party is smiling; those challenges have been taken over by events. That is why I am telling you we are meeting on monthly basis now. Issues like that are no longer issues.”
He equally spoke on the deliberation concerning reconciliation committees.
“Yes, we received a report during the meeting on the issues of minor disagreements in three states. It was reported that the people had been invited and the issues almost resolved.”
Speaking earlier, National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun said: “I want to say I am so happy we have met twice and we are seeing very positive and salutary effects are beginning to manifest in the party.