Crisis in the ruling All Progressive Congress APC seems growing stronger as all the South West governors of the party boycotted the APC consultative meeting in Abuja held penultimate week.
The meeting which was presided over by the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led National Working Committee had only the deputy governor of Ondo State, Agboola Ajayi, who represented governor, Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) from south west.
Source in the party disclosed that absence of the other five South-West governors in Abuja meeting is message to the party’s administrative leadership.
According to the source, a top-ranking member of the party’s hierarchy, who spoke under anonymity, said, “It was a message to all who care to understand the way the South-West plays its politics; there are no permanent friends or enemies but permanent interests. Did you see the attendance during the South-West zonal meeting? That should tell you something. I can assure you that all those absent from this meeting will be present at the caucus meeting on the 30th October and NEC on the 31st if God keeps us alive.”
Although the governor of Bauchi Abubakar Mohammed said issue of automatic ticket for President Muhammadu Buhari was not discussed at the meeting but another source in the party hinted that the meeting was a subtle move to use the gathering to endorse Buhari for 2019.
Other governors at the meeting talked about two governors who have not being supporting the party financially. one of them attended the meeting last when he needed the party’s support for his candidate, who eventually lost in a bye election. The other one has only been here maybe just once after he won his election and both of them are from the South-West.
According to the governors, “most active politicians in the South-West don’t want a repeat of what happened to Alhaji Lateef Jakande and Ebenezer Babatope during the Sani Abacha days. NADECO asked them to withdraw from the administration; they refused. They are still finding it difficult to find a space within the main stream of Yoruba politics ever since.
