No Going Back On Feb Convention – APC Govs Insist
- Pass confidence vote on Buni
BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – Battling to put the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) back on track preparatory to the 2023 general elections, Governors elected on the party’s platform insist there will be no compromise in their choice of having the national convention of the party in February 2022.
Also in the spirit of camaraderie, the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) passed a vote on confidence on their colleagues Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, who leads the APC’s Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) alongside Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State and Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State.
Rising from their meeting Sunday night which was held behind closed doors at the Kebbi state Governor’s Lodge in the Asokoro District of Abuja and ended around 11:30 pm, the governors were initially divided on the February date but reason later prevailed as they reached a consensus to drop the idea of shifting the Convention forward for the umpteenth time.
However, in failing to pick a specific date for the Convention, the PGF rather went with the resolution of allowing the CECPC to further consult widely with other stakeholders and actors to harmonize all positions and announce a suitable date going forward.
Chairman of the Forum and Kebbi state Governor, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu told journalists that in passing a vote on confidence on the Governor Buni-led CECPC, the PGF said having discharged its duties satisfactorily so far, the Committee should ensure that the February date for the Convention becomes a reality.
In attendance at the meeting were Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna), Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Gboyega Oyetola (Osun), Babajide Sanwoolu (Lagos), Simon Bako Lalong (Plateau), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), Abubakar Sani Bello (Niger), Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), and Dapo Abiodun (Ogun).
Also making appearance were Mohammed Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), Bello Matawalle (Zamfara) and Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), Hope Uzodinma (Imo), Ben Ayade (Cross River), Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq (Kwara), Babagana Zulum (Borno), and Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (Kano)
