Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari has charged the National leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to resolve all feud with the incumbent Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode to allow him run for a second term.
Buhari was said to have met with Tinubu in Osun on Tuesday and directed that the feud should end.
With the entrance of former Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Babajide Sanwo-Olu into the governorship race, Ambode’s political future has been uncertain.
With the mandate group’s endorsement of Sanwo-Olu’s aspiration, Ambode has been begging Tinubu to allow him to vie for a second term, but Tinubu had insisted on an open primary, which the governor is not likely to win.
Shortly after Sanwo-Olu’s emergence, former Commissioner for Works & Infrastructure in the state and a godson of the APC leader, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat indicated in the governorship contest, thereby making the contest a three-horse race.
An APC source said Buhari met with party bigwigs on Tuesday in Osun and pleaded that the crisis should be resolved in the interest of the party.
At the said meeting were Ambode, Governor Rauf Aregbesola and Ambode; Kebbi State Governor, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu and two other governors.
At the meeting, Buhari was said to have appealed to all parties on behalf of Ambode that all issues about his re-election should end.
The source said the meeting was positive, adding that “Buhari has directed all parties to resolves their differences in the interest of peace and unity. The meeting informed the decision Tinubu to consult with the GAC for deliberation.”
At the Governor’s Advisory Council, GAC, meeting on Wednesday, the issue of Ambode’s re-election was postponed to Saturday.
A source said the GAC members convened as planned and that after they were briefed about Ambode’s re-election bid, however, they could not really deliberate due to the need to consult wider.
“The meeting has been deferred till September 22 while the governorship primary will now hold on September 29,” the source said.
The Source said, ‘’ The issue that dominated the meeting was Osun Governorship election scheduled for Saturday. Our leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu came from Osun to the meeting and he is going back to Osun this night because he has a role to play there.
‘’The Issue of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Obafemi Hamzat was not discussed. We decided to put it on hold till Weekend when we will be through with Osun state election. Anybody that tells you that a decision has been reached is lying.’’
The membership of the council, made up of the governor and leaders of the party across the three senatorial districts of the state, with Tinubu as chairman, included Dr. Olorunfemi Bashorun; Senator Anthony Adefuye, Prof. Tunde Samuel, Chief Adeyemi Ikuforiji, Alhaji Tajudeen Olusi and Cardinal James Odumbaku.
Also, former Ogun State Governor, Chief Olusegun Osoba had facilitated another meeting between Tinubu and Ambode on Monday night in Osogbo, pleading that Ambode should be giving the nob for a second term.
At the meeting, Osoba pleaded with Tinubu to intervene in Ambode’s travail.
A source said even though Tinubu did not give any specific answer, the meeting was fruitful, while other party leaders were also intervening in the matter.
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