Governors elected under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) say they are strongly united and ready for the party’s national convention slated for Saturday March 26.
Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Governor, Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State made the disclosure in an interview with State House Correspondents, after the Governors met with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
“I am not aware of any altercation or problem between the Governors but as a body, the 22 Governors of the APC are united behind the party and behind the President,” he said.
He said the Governors were in the State house to congratulate the President for signing the Electoral Act, which will facilitate the conduct of credible elections next year.
Bagudu said: “Today Tuesday, 1st of March, a number of APC Governors came to the President to congratulate him concerning the Electoral Act. This is something many Nigerians have expressed different views about.
“But the President has once again taken a courageous step even while having observations, signed the law and requested the National Assembly to look at it. So, we equally congratulate the National Assembly for passage of the amendment as well as the President for signing the amendment.
“Secondly, our party the All Progressives Congress participated in a number of by-elections last weekend and equally we congratulated the President and also spoke about other issues that concern our party.”
The Governor also commented on reports in some quarters that Governors still have reservations on the new Electoral Act, he stressed that APC Governors are very united.
He said: “I have always had course to address this matter, legislation everywhere in the world is based on continuous improvement. Constitutions that are over 200 years old are subject to reviews sometimes and such reviews are not cut and dry; even people who truly believe in the need for a legislation may have worries about the implications of it.
“Governors were never against the principle of amending laws. They are never against the National Assembly but even among members of the National Assembly there is debate. To imagine that some legislations are punitive to the Governors or punitive to the National Assembly, I think that will be tantamount to negation of the oath of office for whoever is participating in doing that.”
Bagudu also emphasised that plans are on for the national convention of the APC to hold on March 26 as scheduled.
Those present at the meeting were Governors of Kebbi, Ekiti, Jigawa, Kano Kaduna, Katsina, Osun, Kogi, Zamfara, Imo, Plateau and Niger.
Dominica Nwabufo
