The inaugural meeting of the All Progressives Council (APC), was not without some controversies as all the State Governors who are head of the campaign in their respective states. A lot of theories had arose as to why the Governors missed the meeting.

Fresh facts have emerged on the reason for the absence of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governors at the inaugural meeting of the party’s Presidential Campaign Council for the 2019 election. The governors elected on the platform of the party had on Thursday shunned the meeting meant to consider and approve the structure and operational modalities of the campaign for the reelection bid of President Muhammadu Buhari. Buhari had on Monday inaugurated the APC Campaign Council with the appointment of the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the co-chairman of the council to fully take charge of the campaign. Though the party had denied insinuations that the governors’ absence was as a result of disaffection, credible sources within the party however confided in Saturday Telegraph that the governors stayed back due to their non support for Tinubu’s appointment.

They just couldn’t believe it. In fact, there was a meeting that day where some people vowed not to work with Tibubu. Another source told our correspondent that the major-ity of the governors shunned the parley because they believed that given such position to Tinubu would be placing him above the governors.

The second source, who was a member of the 2015 campaign team said the governors believed that, with the announcement, Buhari had effectively placed Tinubu above them. “Tinubu knows how to wield powers and giving him such position is as good as equating him with Buhari which will make him be above the governors.

“Before this time, he had been trying to wield powers but he wasn’t giving much chance, now, he will show that he is in charge” The source also linked the governor’s action with Tinubu’s rumoured 2023 presidential ambition, saying that the former Lagos governor had been scheming to worm his way into the heart of the party’s hierarchy in order to succeed Buhari. “All these are nothing but scheming towards the 2023 election, we all know it, it is an open secret within the party. The man is positioning himself for 2023 to succeed Buhari and this is another good opportunity to prove that he can deliver. “If he can deliver Buhari’s election, who says he won’t deliver himself when the time comes? The announcement by Buhari was a good one for him but the majority of the governors are not happy with the situation”, he said.

The National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, also denied that there was any rancour while giving reasons for the absence of the governors. “Because they are governors, they are governing their states. Don’t forget that elections are not defined in Abuja, it will take place in the 36 states and I am sure there are APC members who are campaigning for the House of Assembly, various federal house and senate constituencies, even governorship. “So, it will not be helpful to bring them to Abuja. Here, it is about policies, it will consummated and translated to practice across the 36 states, 774 local governments and wards’ he said, reiterating that the party remains one indivisible body. Meanwhile, Tinubu has dismissed the report of his collapse. Tinubu, who was reported to have collapsed on Wednesday, reacted, after 72 hours that the news of his collapse was fake.

The APC chieftain, who spoke when the Yoruba traditional rulers visited him in Abuja, also punctured the report that the APC governors stayed away from the inaugural meeting of the Presidential Campaign Council. According to him, the report of the governors boycotting the meeting was also fake. The APC National Publicity Secretary, Lanre Issa-Onilu, had said while reacting to the governors boycotting Presidential Campaign Council that they were not part of the meeting. He said: “The agenda for the meeting had to do with drawing the timetable and deciding on the messaging. It didn’t require everyone in the council to be present. Meanwhile, this is not the inaugural meeting. After the inauguration on Monday, there have been not less than three meetings of the council.” Also asked why the governors were not at the meeting of the APC PCC, Tinubu said: “That is negative and fake news too.

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