APC Primaries: Aspirants reach out to delegates in hotels

Ahead of the presidential primary and extraordinary national convention of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the frontline aspirants including Bola Tinubu, Yemi Osinbajo, Rotimi Amaechi, Kayode Fayemi and Ahmed Lawan through their agents reached out to the delegates in their hotel rooms to seal the pact with them ahead of the election, Daily Trust reliably gathered.

It was gathered that while delegates from states being governed by APC were provided accommodation by their state governments, those from non-APC states were given hotels by aspirants.

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A lawmaker, who is a coordinator for one of the aspirants, said they have provided stipends to delegates for food.

“We have not started the main stuff but we have watered the ground,” he said.

Another source said the delegates were being reached through their governors.

“We are not going directly. You know we met almost all the delegates during our state tour. So, whatever we are doing now is through the governors. And in states where we don’t have governors, we are reaching out to them through their state leaders,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Police Command in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has announced traffic diversions as a result of the primary.

Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), in the FCT, DSP Josephine Adeh, said this in a statement.

Adeh said the diversion was to ensure safety at the convention and the continuation of economic activities that largely depend on road traffic.

She said the command has drafted an operational order to maximise the deployment of human and material resources for the success of the convention.

She said areas closed to traffic include: Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Road by Court of Appeal, behind Court of Appeal, ECOWAS by Women Affairs, Finance Junction, behind Foreign Affairs, Kur Mohammed, by National Mosque and Benue Plaza.

Others are Nitel Junction, Phase 3, NNPC Towers, Ceddi Plaza Bridge, Gana St. by Transcorp, DSS Headquarters Phase 1, NASS Junction, Bullet, and Bayelsa House.