No plot to block opposition in Edo, Ondo guber polls — APC governors

The Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) has said there is no plot to block or stifle opposition in the September 19 and October 10 governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states.

The Forum also said governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were way ahead of their counterparts in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on issues of governance and constitutional amendment.

• 2023 Presidency: It will be unfair for APC to field northern candidate – Ndume
• Oyo to repatriate trafficked indigenes from Lebanon

The PDP Governors Forum led by Governor Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto state who left the APC prior to the 2019 general election, had on Saturday, asked President Muhammadu Buhari, INEC and security agencies to guarantee credible polls in Edo and Ondo states.

The Forum also resolved to constitute two committees – legislative liaison committee and legal affairs committee – to provide input on electoral act amendment and constitution review matters among others.

But addressing a press conference on Monday, in Abuja, the Director General of the PGF, Salihu Mohammed Lukman said the creation of the committees meant that the PGF has impacted on how the PDP governors now conduct their internal affairs under Tambuwal’s watch.

“I think we should welcome that PDP is interested in free and fair election. And we do hope that it is really what is behind their agitation.

“I believe personally that PDP governors are only talking about governance issues now as a priority in their consideration likely because as Progressive Governors Forum, we have made tremendous impact on how the PDP conduct their internal affairs and in a way you can trace that to the fact that the current Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum (Tambuwal) was a member of Progressive Governors’ Forum.

“So, in a way, he has learnt something positive on account of his membership of the Forum in the past. We do hope more positive things in terms of how they manage the affairs of PDP would come out of those experiences.

“However, I think it will be premature to predict what will be the content of what the Wike committee would recommend. So, it is better for us to wait and see what they will recommend. I won’t want to preempt them but as PGF, we are far ahead,” Mohammed said.