Barring any last-minute change, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State would be announced as the director general of the presidential campaign organisation of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Daily Trust gathered that Lalong, a Christian, has been pencilled down as the DG following an uproar over the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC.
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Recall that the top hierarchy of the APC had settled for Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State as the DG, while a former National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, was chosen as the chairman of the campaign council.
However, it was gathered that after a meeting between Tinubu and his running mate, Kashim Shettima and the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) in Lagos, it was agreed that Lalong should be announced as the DG in order to pacify the Christian community and woo aggrieved Northern Christians.
The meeting, which started on Monday night, ended yesterday.
A source privy to the meeting said, “Yes, Gov Lalong is the DG. The APC is united and we are committed to saving the country from those who want to divide us on religious lines.”
El-Rufai, who briefed reporters after the meeting, confirmed that a decision had been taken on the DG, while other positions in the campaign council were still being discussed.
He said, “A decision has been taken on the director general, but other positions in the campaign council are still being discussed. The president and the national chairman and the National Working Committee (NWC) will be briefed before a formal announcement.”
He further said the governors were in Lagos to report on the assignment given to them by Tinubu and his running mate to begin broad consultation and develop a structure for the presidential campaign council.
He explained that, “We came to report on an assignment given to us by our presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his running mate to begin the broad consultation and develop a structure for the presidential campaign council.
“We have done some work on it. We have briefed the candidate and his running mate and inputs have been taken and our hope is that in the shortest possible time the candidate will consult more with the party leadership and brief Mr President and get his input and then we formally unveil the presidential campaign council.”
Other governors who attended the meeting are Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), Bello Matawalle (Zamfara) and Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos).
The National Secretary of APC, Senator Iyiola Omisore, Adams Oshiomohole and Alhaji Kabiru Masari also attended the meeting.
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