In a significant move, APC Governors under the banner of the Progressive Governors Forum, PGF rejected the former Lagos Governor Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s preference to host them in today’s meeting and rather asked him to come make his pitch for their support at the Kebbi State Government Lodge in Asokoro.
This is following the fact according to APC sources that the first Presidential aspirant the Governors met with was the Vice President although others including the Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi, Tinubu and other APC Presidential aspirants had publicly declared their interest in the race ahead of the VP.
“This is indicative of who is seen as the undisputed frontrunner and potentially the most popular of the aspirants, ” an APC Party source said.
While the Vice President only declared today, having met the Governors yesterday, all the other aspirants had declared previously without the APC Governors consulting or meeting with them as a group.
A source said the meeting the APC Governors held with Tinubu the day after they met the VP in his residence was a knee-jerk reaction to the one the Governors had with the VP on Sunday.
There has been no mention as yet as whether the Governors would even meet other aspirants including Amaechi, the Ebonyi State Governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha and others who have also publicly shown interest in the Presidential race.
When Tinubu on seeing the notice of the Governor’s meeting with the VP, he quickly instructed the Lagos State Governor Babjide Sanwoolu to mobilise his colleagues APC Governors to see if it was possible for Ashiwaju to meet the Govs first. Reports indicate that Sanwoolu ran up and down to hold the meeting on Friday.
The abortive attempt lead to the holding of the meeting today but only on the condition, the APC Governors gave that they would meet Ashiwaju if he came to a venue set by the Governors, which was the Lodge of the Kebbi State Government. Kebbi Governor is the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, PGF.
