Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s meeting with the All Progressives Congress Governors under the aegis of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) held today in Abuja but not without a condition, Persecondnews reports.
The APC governors had turned down Tinubu’s invitation to be hosted at his Asokoro residence and insisted that he should rather come and make his pitch for their support at the Kebbi State Government Lodge in Asokoro.
According to APC sources, the first Presidential aspirant the Governors met with was Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) although others including the Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi, Tinubu and other APC Presidential aspirants had publicly declared their interest in the race ahead of the VP.
“This is indicative of who is seen as the undisputed frontrunner and potentially the most popular of the aspirants,” a party source told Persecondnews.
While the Vice-President only declared on Monday morning having met with the Governors yesterday, all the other aspirants had declared previously without the APC Governors consulting or meeting with them as a group.
A source said the meeting the APC Governors held with Tinubu the day after they met the VP in his residence was a knee-jerk reaction to the one the Governors had with the VP on Sunday.
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It is not clear yet whether the Governors would even meet other aspirants including Amaechi, the Ebonyi State Governor, Sen. Rochas Okorocha and others who have also publicly shown interest in the Presidential race.
When Tinubu on seeing the notice of the Governors’ meeting with the VP, he quickly instructed the Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to mobilize his colleagues (APC Governors) to see if it was possible for him to meet the Governors first.
Expectedly, Sanwo-Olu at a cracking pace, rallied his colleagues to hold the meeting on Friday but failed to hold.
Sources said the abortive attempt led to the holding of the meeting on Monday only on the condition that Tinubu could come over to the Lodge of the Kebbi Governor, who is also the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum.
Meanwhile, Tinubu, in a reaction to Osinbajo’s declaration after the meeting, denied the “sonship’’ relationship with him as suggested by reporters.
Answering reporters’ questions that his “son’’ (Osinbajo) had just made a Presidential declaration, Tinubu said: “I don’t have any son grown up enough to make such declaration.”
Asked about the Presidential declaration of Vice President Osinbajo which came only a few hours before the Kebbi House meeting, he said, “I don’t have any son grown up enough to make such declaration.”
“My mission here is to seek collaboration, support and encouragement of my party, the APC, for my ambition to become the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a replacement for President Muhammadu Buhari after his tenure,’’ he added.
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