The Pro-Oshiomole governors in All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday beat their anti-Oshiomhole counterparts to the game and turn the table to secure the suspension of today contentious Emergency National Executive Committee meeting.
Sixteen of the 20-member Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) had met to take a position on the leadership crisis rocking the party before meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Villa where the Pro-Oshiomole group deftly ensured that the NEC meeting did hold as planned by the anti-Oshiomole led National Working Committee.
The leadership rocking the ruling party has polarised the APC governors forum with Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, leading the pack of pro-Oshiomole group while the chairman of the PGF and Kebbi State governor, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu is the arrow head of the anti-Oshiomole group.
Source at the pre-villa meeting of the governors said the meeting became rowdy when Pro-Oshiomole group gathered that their counterparts had concluded plans to present a position to the President that the forum has endorsed the anti-Oshiomole NWC, a move that was stiffly contested forcing the PGF to back peddler.
“It was gathered that the PGF chairman had perfected a plan to present a position that the governors endorsed the NEC meeting to the President without prior discussion by the whole house. This angered Imo State governor, Uzodinma who stood his ground and accused the chairman of imposition,” a source disclosed.
Irked by the chairman’s action, Uzodinma along with other allies protested and in keeping with his earlier warning to resist any attempt to humilate Oshiomhole out of office. This development forced the meeting to agreed that the NEC meeting would be suspended to enable them find amicable and a popular solution to the deadlock.
It was also gathered that Uzodinma also complained what he described as the inglorious role of the Director General of the PGF, Dr. Mohammed Lukman. He frowned at the “untoward” role the DG played so far in the leadership crisis rocking the party.
According to another source at the meeting, “Governor Uzodinma who was visibly angry complained that the DG can no longer be allow to be disparaging the national chairman of the party and he said that he (Lukman) be relieved of his post”.
It was at this point that the forum chairman apologized and appealled to his colleagues and an agreement was reached to persuade President Buhari to support the suspension of the NEC.
Briefing State House Correspondents after meeting with the President, Bagudu said the forum had resolved to amicably resolved all the areas of differences that had all along been responsible for the crisis besetting the party.
He also said that they (the governors) agreed with President Buhari to suspend the scheduled NEC of the party until such a time when they (the governors) would deem it fit to hold the meeting and report back to the President.
“Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), who are governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) controlled-states, came this afternoon to meet Mr President and among other issues,
“Yes, we discussed about party issues and showed appropriation to Mr President on how he has given access to each of us individually and collectively.
“Among the issues we discussed was the resolution the governors have taken to work together and resolve all the issues in our party and also we sought Mr President’s support to postpone the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting that was scheduled for tomorrow, until such a time that governors will be able to report back”, he said.
