AHEAD of the national convention of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, President Muhammadu Buhari has reportedly endorsed the immediate past Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
The President made his choice known yesterday when he met behind-closed-door meeting with state governors elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress at President Villa, Abuja.
According to a Presidency official who spoke with reporters on the condition of anonymity, the sole item on the agenda of the meeting was how the governors would work towards the emergence of a former Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, as the party’s national chairman.
The party’s national convention where new members of the party’s National Working Committee will emerge has been slated for May 14 in Abuja.
It is not clear yet if the party’s current chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, will be seeking re-election at the convention but the President has resolved to support Oshiomhole’s candidature.
“The President called this meeting with the APC governors to ask them to back Oshiomhole’s candidature. That’s the purpose of the meeting administration that is the President’s position,” the Presidency source said.
The APC has decided to retain the current zoning formula for its national offices.
Both Odigie-Oyegun and Oshiomhole are from Edo State in the South-South where the position of the APC national chairman is zoned to.
Meanwhile, Odigie-Oyegun has described the purported endorsement of Oshiomhole as the next chairman of the party as childish.
Odigie-Oyegun, who was also a former governor of the state, however, said he had yet to decide on whether or not he would seek re-election at the party’s national convention or not.
The chairman of the ruling party spoke with some journalists in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said he had concluded his consultations on whether he would seek a re-election or not.
He, however, did not disclose the outcome of the consultations.
There have been speculation that both Odigie-Oyegun and Oshiomhole among others, are in the race for the office of the national chairman of the APC.
But reacting to the development in a short interview with journalists, Odigie-Oyegun said that the action of those who endorsed Oshiomhole was childish.
“It was childish. Absolutely childish! The voting is done at the convention and not in state houses, not in government houses,” he said
When asked to comment on his rejection by the Edo State chapter of the APC, Odigie-Oyegun said, “They have their reasons for what they did and you have to respect their own reasons, however, wrong it is. Don’t bother about this teaser; I will give a comprehensive interview, to speak with you when the time comes.”
When reporters insisted that he should confirm whether he would re-contest his office or not, he simply said, “The consultations, I think is concluded. Well, I’m going to know when the convention committee announces their programmes, then when I’m going to buy a form, if I will re-contest I will let you know.”
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