The All Progressives Congress (APC) governors forum yesterday maintained that there was nothing awkward on the absence of President Muhammadu Buhari at the weekly federal executive council (FEC) meeting.
The Guardian reports that Governor Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai who spoke on behalf of the twenty-four-member governors’ forum noted: “We are not worried about the development. It is not compulsory for Mr President to preside at every federal executive council meeting. That is why our Constitution makes provision for a vice president. Mr President is over 70 years old and it is such at that age to have one medical challenge or the other.
“Even I at 57 take medication for one ailment or another. Our prayer is that the president gets better and we’ll. But the Emerson why he has the vice president is precisely for this reason. It may not be because he has a medical challenge that he didn’t go to the executive council meeting. He may have other pressing matters to attend.
“I have not chaired every executive council meeting in Kaduna even when I am in Kaduna because my deputy governor is there if there are other things to attend that are of greater priority than the council meeting. We are not worried yet. There is no concern to be worried but we ask Nigerians to join all of us in praying for the president improved health. ”
El-Rufai who briefed reporters on the outcome of their closed door parley with members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) hinted that the decision on when to hold the party’s midterm convention would be taken next month.
The Kaduna State governor said there was nothing unusual about conflict within the ranks of the party. He also stated that part of the decision taken at in the parley was that the APC governors forum would be holding a monthly meeting with members of the NWC aimed at reconciling aggrieved members of the party and strengthening the party ahead of the 2019 poll.
He also disclosed that the issue of how to source for funds from donors outside government circles topped deliberations at the parley which had twenty governors in attendance.
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