APC crisis: Buhari meets Tinubu in Aso Rock

NATIONAL Leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and former Interim National Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande, were at the presidential villa, Abuja on Tuesday for a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari ostensibly over the crisis in the ruling party.

Both men arrived at about 3.03pm and were expected to meet with the president at his official residence.

When approached by correspondents before the meeting, he had declined to speak, but only saying, “when I come back.”

The president had recently designated Tinubu to lead the consultation, reconciliation and confidence-building efforts as part of on-going efforts to improve cohesion within the APC.

According to a terse statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the president on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, in Abuja last week Tuesday, the assignment will involve resolving disagreements among party members, party leadership and political office holders in some states of the Federation.

But the opposition the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in its reaction to the appointment of the former Lagos state governor, described it as a shame, noting in its official Twitter handle, @OfficialPDPNg, that it was not the business of the president to appoint somebody to reconcile the party but the party national chairman.

The PDP had said it had always stated that the APC-led Federal Government of Nigeria was “inept and grossly incompetent.”

The party added: “What other proof is required than the announcement by the Presidency of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as Chairman, APC Reconciliation Committee.

“Gen. Buhari, Nigeria President is ‘not aware’ that the Federal Government of Nigeria is different from APC and such announcement should be made by the Party, the APC and not the Federal Government of Nigeria. “What a shame!”