The Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu, has said that all contentious issues surrounding the leadership crisis confronting the All Progressives Congress (APC) will soon be reconciled.
Bagudu stated this when he addressed State House correspondents at the end of a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, on Monday.
Bagudu was accompanied to the State House by Governors Simon Lalong of Plateau and Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa.
He said the governors were in the State House to share with the president the Progressive Governors’ position on how best to address the lingering crisis facing the APC.
“Today, my brothers the Governor of Plateau State Simon Lalong and the Governor of Jigawa State Abubakar Badaru and myself visited President Muhammadu Buhari as our party leader, as the leader that millions of Nigerian trust, to discuss party issues and the position of the Progressive Governors to support all steps to unify and bring about peaceful resolution in our party the All Progressives Congress.
“The President listened to us attentively and discussed with us as a father, as a party leader and gave us all the assurance needed to know that resolution of contentious issues will soon be arrived at.”
Bagudu, the governor of Kebbi State, described Buhari as a democrat that allows all arms of the party to function according to the provisions of the party’s constitution.
“At all times the President has shown that he is a democrat. He is not running the party; yes, he is the party leader but he allows the party’s organs to do and decide what should be done.
“He is very hesitant to use his standing even as party leader talk less of his authority as President of the country to direct things,’’ he added.
According to the governor, in any political assembly, there are bound to be recurring issues because a political party is never a perfect assembly.
Bagudu agreed that it was necessary for the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party to meet as part of steps towards resolving the crisis.
“I believe that whatever needs to be done including the possibility of calling any of the organs of the party that is necessary for the resolution of lingering issues will be done immediately.
“Let me again say that the party is never a perfect assembly.
“There will always be issues and that is why we talk, but yes certainly, organs of the party need to meet and Mr President without directing is always supporting the necessity of party organs meeting appropriately,’’ he said.
Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, had on June 21 met with Buhari over the APC crisis, where he challenged leadership of the party across the country to make every possible effort to get the party reconciled.
Ahmad said: ”I believe that we have to deal with these challenges, this is the ruling party with the president; with the control of the National Assembly; with more governors than any other political party.
”So, I believe that we have to sort this out and that will make our work even better and easier when we have a stable party as the party is supposed to be part of the apparatus of running government.’’
APC chieftains across the country, including the party’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, are calling on the president to summon emergency meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to address the crisis.
Nabena urged the President to convene NEC emergency meeting to deliberate on consolidating APC’s control of Edo and Ondo states ahead of the forthcoming governorship elections in the states.
The Party’s National Working Committee (NWC) has been divided into factions, each claiming leadership of the party.
The crisis followed the Appeal Court ruling affirming the suspension of Adams Oshiomhole as the party’s National Chairman.
