Tuesday’s closed door meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and governors of the All Progressive Congress (APC) at the Aso villa, Abuja ended in a deadlock.
The meeting which started at 2.15pm ended at 3.30pm, it was said to have centred around the tenure elongation of the John Odigie-Oyegun led executive – which majority of the governors favour – and the proposed care-taker committee to be led by former governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole.
Emerging from the meeting at which Plateau State governor, Simon Lalong and Kebbi’s, Atiku Bagudu said the opening prayers, all the governors refused to talk to State House Correspondents.
When approached, some of the governors, including Rochas Okorocha of Imo, Lalong, as well as Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, would not speak on the outcome of the meeting but simply said an agreement was reached that there would be no comments.
It was learnt that President Buhari had at some point during the
meeting, allowed the governors to decide on the next date the meeting would reconvene. Zamfara Governor and Chairman of the Governors Forum, Abdulazeez Yari, were said to have proposed April 9 and 10, while El-Rufai, was said to have opposed the dates.
An Aso Villa source said when the meeting became rowdy, the governors stomped out, with some wearing long faces.
One of the governors was heard telling his colleagues that, “Some people who think they are tall, think they can control us, it will not work.”
Before President Buhari entered the Council Chambers for the meeting, the governors had formed a circle round the Chairman of APC Governors’ Forum, Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, and were seen arguing.
Some were overheard saying, “what they are bring to the table today, we will not allow to stand. This is a coup and we will not allow it to stand.”
All the APC Governors were in attendance, including the governor of Ogun, Ibikunle Amosun, who arrived 30 minutes after the meeting had commenced.
El-Rufai had arrived the Presidential Villa a few minutes before 10a.m ahead of the meeting earlier scheduled for 2p.m and was seen entering straight into the President’s office.
Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, attended the meeting in crutches, following an accident he had during the Easter holiday.
Onyinye Nwachukwu, Abuja
