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Heated caucus meetings of governors elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress [APC] continued in Abuja as we went to press late last night following their deadlocked meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on the fate of the party’s Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led National Working Committee and state committees.

A participant in the meetings told Daily Trust there were “fireworks” as the governors broke into factions, with some pushing for Oyegun’s retention while others pushed for a replacement after the NWC’s tenure ends in June.

Buhari, govs meeting deadlocked

Our correspondent reports that President Buhari’s meeting with the APC governors, held earlier in the day over the fate of tenure elongation for the Odigie-Oyegun-led NWC ended in a deadlock.

Yesterday’s closed-door meeting, which was held inside the Council Chambers of the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja, lasted one-and-half hours.

The governors of Yobe and Katsina States were absent at meeting; while their Bauchi counterpart, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, was represented by his deputy. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, were also in attendance. Three hours ahead of the meeting, Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai arrived at the president’s office. It was not clear whether he had an audience with Buhari.

Before Buhari arrived for the meeting, there were murmurings at the Council Chambers as the governors stood in groups, and engaged in arguments. One of them was overheard vowing that “What they are bringing here today will not work. This is a coup. It will not stand.”

After the meeting, another governor was overheard saying that: “Some people who think they are tall think that they can control us. That will not work.”

None of the governors spoke to State House correspondents, because it was agreed that the outcome of the meeting should not be disclosed. When the chairman of the APC Governors Forum, Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, attempted to address the journalists, his Oyo State counterpart, Abiola Ajimobi, prevailed on him not to do so.

At the meeting, some of the governors were said to have insisted on tenure elongation for the party’s NWC, but were countered by others who suggested that a caretaker committee be constituted to be headed by a former governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole.

This was said to have caused a rowdy session as both groups were attempting to outwit each other. The governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, who attended the meeting in crutches due to an injury he sustained during the Easter break, was said to have described the decision to stop Oyegun as a coup.

The meeting, according to sources, was brought to an abrupt end when the governors of Zamfara and Kaduna States, Abdulaziz Yari and Nasir El-Rufai respectively, clashed over Buhari’s request for a date to reconvene the meeting. It was gathered that no sooner had Yari proposed April 9 and 10 than El-Rufai tackled him and demanded an explanation on what informed such a proposal. It was observed that most of the governors looked deadpanned while leaving the Presidential Villa.

*Oyegun inaugurates technical c’ttee 

Also yesterday, Oyegun inaugurated a special Technical Committee led by Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong, to examine President Muhammadu Buhari’s position on the tenure of party executives.

Other members of the technical committee were the Secretary to the Government of the Federation Barr. Boss Mustapha; Governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi; Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai; Governor of Ondo State, Olurotimi Akeredolu; Senator Ben Uwajumogu; Rep Kabiru Ajana; Barr. Elisha Kurah; Barr. C.J.N. Dakas, and the APC National Legal Adviser, Dr. Muiz Banire, (Member/Secretary).

Terms of reference

While inaugurating the committee, Chief Odigie-Oyegun said the issues to address had legal and political considerations. He said, “your job is to bring these two together and advise us on the way we can implement our activities in the next few weeks and months in a way that is politically advantageous to our party, the APC and at the same time face due difference to the niceties of the law.

“We must observe the law and at the same time emphasise that we try to do things that will be advantageous to the party. We will furnish you with all the documents like the resolutions of NEC, the party’s constitution and the Nigerian constitution to help you do a good job.

“You are also at liberty to request for additional materials like the statement of Mr President during last NEC meeting and every other thing to guide you achieve the task you are about to undertake. I am praying, hoping that this is the kind of thing you can accomplish in about three to four days.

“Getting answers from you is crucially time sensitive and depending on which way you advise, we may have to put in motion very serious activities in the party virtually within a week of getting the report and taking decisions. I thank you for accepting this onerous assignment and wish you the very best of luck,” he said.

The chairman of the committee, Lalong, while answering questions from journalists, picked holes in argument that the issue revolved around the APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who had earlier rejected the tenure elongation option.

Lalong said, “The discussion there was not anything against Tinubu. Tinubu’s name was not mentioned in that discussion. The discussion was a NEC decision on the way forward on the position of the President who is also a member of the NEC and that was subjected to discussion. So, the issue of whether it is satisfying somebody is not there. Our decision is not going to be final. We will only advise the NEC on the issue.”

Governor Akeredolu of Ondo State said since the NEC did not extend the tenure of Odigie-Oyegun-led NWC and party officials across the country, the on-going debate was needless.

Akeredolu said, “The usage of that word (elongation) is totally wrong. There was no time at our NEC we took the decision to get their tenure to be elongated. There was a clear resolution of NEC and all it asked for is for the existing committee not to extend their tenure.

“We cannot in law extend their tenure but we can have them work in an acting capacity or work as caretaker for some time not over twelve months. That on its own is not tenure elongation. It is not the intention of APC to elongate anybody’s tenure,” he said.

Committee unnecessary

Sources within the APC said last night that there was no need for the technical committee, insisting that the most important thing now is to bring all aggrieved members of the party under one roof for reconciliation.

One of the sources, a ranking senator, described the technical committee as “dead on arrival” and that it was Oyegun’s last minute move to secure his seat. In a phone interview, he said: “The fact of the matter is that some of the governors that are close to the President know that if election is conducted, they will lose their hold of the party which they presently enjoy under Oyegun.

“In their own thinking, Oyegun is their survival strategy. They are of the belief that the devil they know is better than the one they don’t know,” he said. The lawmaker, who did not want to be named, said Governor El-Rufai, Yahaya Bello, Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi and others were afraid that should election be conducted, Tinubu would take over the party.

“Tinubu and Buhari are now on the same page on this matter but the Pro-Buhari governors are not. Take it from me, there is nothing good that will come out of this committee at the end of the day,” he said.

Another member of the National Assembly said those in the committee must be careful not to complicate matters and plunge the party into further crisis. “It is only Buhari that can go forward and resolve the problem. You cannot sacrifice the law because of political gain,” he said.

“Some few governors really want to have their way, they are the people behind all this confusion; they are the governors that have crises and divisions in their states; they are also simply against any peace move between President Buhari and Tinubu for personal gains,” the source said.

According to another source, “We don’t really have time for debates, there is nothing technical about the committee; we should do the needful to avert legal tussle at the end of the day.

“The outcome of the Lalong committee’s report would amount to nothing; they would just use certain nomenclature to ensure the tenure elongation.

“When you look at the list critically, it included governors with issues in their states; of course with the exception of Lalong the chairman.

“The grudge of most of the governors is that they want to maintain the status quo in their states despite the apparent crisis and they could only achieve this if Oyegun is there on the seat; they have pocketed him,” he alleged.

Another source said President Buhari was magnanimous in allowing a window for discussion. “But it is like some people are taking him for a ride; he is the national leader of the party and must be seen as such.  Of course he might need some of the NWC members but not all of them; we should go for congresses and elections so that those who deserve a comeback should come back and the nonperforming ones should be favoured elsewhere,” he said.

He warned that in the event the governors had their way, “then the APC as a party should start looking for another alliance elsewhere because the South West camp led by Tinubu would definitely find their way,” he said