APC Presidential Aspirants’ Parley With Tinubu Fails To Hold

The Peace parley scheduled for Wednesday for all the presidential aspirants of the All Progressives Congress, APC, did not hold as the convener moves to reconcile all aggrieved members before a new date is set.

THE WHISTLER gathered that invited members to the parley that will enable those with grievances against the party’s presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, to air their views did not show up because they were not carried along before such an important move was made.

The motive of the organiser, who is said to have little political influence within and outside the party, was also questioned as influential presidential aspirants like former Ministers such as Rotimi Amaechi (Transportation), Ogbonnaya Onu ( Science and Technology), and Godswill Akpabio (Niger Delta Affairs) did not buy into the move.

The former presidential aspirants under the party were invited to what the organiser, Nicolas Felix, who was the youngest presidential aspirant at the party’s June presidential convention, said was to enable them buy into the campaign ideology of the candidate for a successful 2023 election.

Consequently, the 21 former presidential aspirants were invited to Transcop Hilton Hotel Abuja for a meeting scheduled for 2pm.

But when our Correspondent visited the venue of the meeting, there was no notice of the meeting. The information unit of the hotel also said there was no such scheduled meeting.

While no official reason has been given for a no-show, a text message sent to one of the invited presidential aspirants seen by our Correspondent read,“Good day your Excellency. Please be informed that the strategic meeting of 2023 presidential aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC), scheduled to hold on Wednesday the 31st of August has be postponed.

“A new date for the meeting will be communicated soon. Apologies for any inconvenience(s) that this might cause. Stay blessed.”

THE WHISTLER reports that the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, who was one of the guests travelled out of the country for official engagement.

It was equally gathered that Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, was out of town and also did not officially respond to the invitation.

Apart from Osinbajo, Lawan,
Amaechi, Onu and Akpabio, others invited to the meeting were former Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba governors Yahaya Bello (Kogi) and Dave Umahi (Ebonyi).

Governors Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), Ben Ayade (Cross River) and Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), former Ogun State governor and serving senator, Ibikunle Amosun.

Others were a serving senator, Ajayi Boroffice; former Zamfara governor, Ahmad Sani; former Imo State governor and serving senator, Rochas Okorocha; a former Senate President, Ken Nnamani; and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole.

The rest were Pastor Tunde Bakare; businessman, Nicolas Felix; former Information Minister, Ikeobasi Mokelu; businessman, Tein Jack-Rich and the only female among them, Uju Ken-Ohanenye.

Official window for commencement of campaign begins in the final week of September 2023.