Convention: APC governors schedule make or mar meeting after Buhari’s warning

Governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have scheduled a meeting to deliberate on picking a definite date for the ruling party’s convention.

Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, gave the hint during an interactive session with State House reporters after a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, on Friday.

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APC members have been expressing concern over the convention while the party leadership has been under pressure over the delay in the conduct of the convention slated for February.

The APC caretaker chairman and Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, also met the President on Friday over what sources said the current development on the party convention.

In an interview he granted to NTA, the president had warned his party to take the issue of convention seriously.

The governor, who said Sunday meeting will focus on the proposed date for the convention, stated that the President’s warning to the party that it risked losing power to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was a signal for the party to have a seamless convention to avoid disintegration.

He said the governors have now given the president the assurance that the convention will hold in February.

According to him, the president’s warning is for the party to redouble its effort and do the right thing.

Lalong said as a political party, the APC was made up of different interests, adding that “what matters is that at the end of the day, we will elect our representatives.”

Asked about what the party leaders were doing to avert the loss forewarned by President Buhari, he said: “Yes, I agree that all the times there are meetings, especially taking final decisions on the party, I’m always part of it and part of it was also why I visited the President and the President still stands committed that there must be an immediate convention.

“You know, when convention is coming, there are fears here and there, some people will tell you it will work, it will not work. I don’t want to jump to conclusion, but the visit to the President has already assured us and you know that there is already a notice that all the governors are meeting on Sunday. By Sunday, we will tell you when we’re doing the convention.

“We’ve taken a date already. I think our first date before Christmas we said we’re going to do convention in February and we are still working for convention, as far as I’m concerned, except things change from another angle. But as far as I’m concerned, we’re working for our convention in February.

“These are things that the President was raising his fears about, but we’ve already given him assurances that nothing will stop us from having a very peaceful election. Some parties have done their own. The PDP did their own, nothing will stop APC from doing their own.

“So, all the fears that we’re talking about, which the President also re-echoed, is also telling the governors, please do more, and keep the party alive. So, by God’s grace, we’re going to put our party alive.

“Well, these are things we’re going to discuss, but I’m not drawing conclusion, but I always tell you that a political party is a cumulation of interests, the interests may be the same, they may not be the same, but at the end of the day, what we’ll do is that we are going to elect people who are going to represent you.”