President Bola Tinubu recently held a meeting with Senators Abdullahi Adamu and Iyiola Omisore, the immediate-past National Chairman and Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), respectively, at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa.
The meeting, which took place on Tuesday, comes one week after the two senators reportedly resigned from their positions ahead of the scheduled National Caucus and National Executive Council meetings. The meetings were originally slated for Monday, July 18, and Tuesday, July 19, 2023, respectively.
At the time, Tinubu was away in Kenya for the Fifth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the African Union and has not met both former officials until today.
Their exit, however, forced the National Working Committee of the party, under the leadership of Acting National Chairman, Senator Abubakar Kyari, to shelve the NEC and caucus meetings indefinitely.
Adamu reportedly declined to make any comments on the development until the President’s return.
Neither of the two men has openly announced their resignation since July 17.
However, the acting National Chairman, Abubakar Kyari, confirmed the resignation to journalists after a meeting of the party’s National Working Committee in Abuja.
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Details of the purpose of Adamu and Omisore’s visit to Tinubu could not be ascertained, but a former member of the APC Board of Trustees, Garus Gololo, said he believed that Adamu and Omisore were on a ‘thank you’ visit to Tinubu.
“Adamu and Omisore went to the Villa to thank the President for the opportunity given to them to serve the party. This shows that they are good party men. The fact that they resigned their positions does not mean they are no longer members of the party.
“It would have been a problem if they had visited the People’s Democratic Party or Atiku Abubakar. That would have been a clear case of anti-party activity,” Gololo said.
A member of the National Working Committee, who preferred anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the development, told The Punch that the peace meeting was facilitated by the Governor Hope Uzodimma-led Progressives Governors Forum and that it was initially slated for last week.
He explained that it was subsequently postponed to this week after the governors learned that Omisore had traveled out of the country.
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The APC chieftain said, “I understand the essence of the meeting, which was brokered by the Progressive Governors’ Forum, is to bridge the gap and discuss in an atmosphere that will eliminate acrimony and bitterness.
“It was initially slated to take place last week. But Omisore was out of town and only came back at the weekend. That was why it was pushed to this week.
“Unfortunately, I doubt if the NWC was aware that it was slated for today. I will be surprised if Kyari or the secretary made it to the meeting at the Villa today because, as of the time I left yesterday, there was no mention of it,” he said.
A source in the Presidency confirmed that the meeting was an arrangement set up by the chairman of the APC governors’ forum.
When asked for the details of the arrangement, the source said, “I can’t give you that now. It will emerge much later. But I can tell you authoritatively that those in the party will know once we have a consensus.”
When asked if Adamu and Omisore would be considered for appointments in the new government, the APC chieftain said, “Anything is possible. After all, they worked for the success of the party. So if they asked for rewards, it is not out of place. Politics is all about negotiation. But they are not enemies of the president.”
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When contacted, the APC Deputy National Chairman (South), Emma Eneukwu, said he did not see anything wrong with Adamu and Omisore’s visit to Tinubu.
“Their presence at the Villa could also be a friendly visit. They are the leaders of our party.
“Besides, Bola Tinubu is still the President of Nigeria. He is the father of all,” he said.
On his part, the APC Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, said, “Their visit can be anything. But I am not sure it is for a comeback. Nevertheless, they are still members of the party. And, of course, he is their President.”