Former Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR, his Vice Professor Yemi Osinbajo, ex-governor of River State and former minister Rotimi Amaechi, and former Kaduna State governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai were among the many leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) absent at the long-awaited National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting yesterday.
The meeting, presided over by President Bola Tinubu, aimed to address grievances within the party and reassure members.
The NEC meeting, the first since President Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023, and Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje’s appointment as chairman following Abdullahi Adamu’s resignation, was held at the Buhari House APC national secretariat in Abuja.
Former governors Nasir El-Rufai and Rotimi Amaechi, who have openly expressed dissatisfaction with the party’s current state, were among those absent. Former President Buhari and his Vice, Professor Osinbajo, were also not in attendance.
However, the meeting saw the presence of Vice-President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, and Minister of Budget and National Planning Abubakar Bagudu.
Governors in attendance included Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Monday Okpebholo (Edo), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), Hyacinth Alia (Benue), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Uba Sani (Kaduna), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), Usman Ododo (Kogi), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Mohammed Bago (Niger), Hope Uzodimma (Imo), and the deputy governor of Ebonyi State.
Former governors who attended included Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara), Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Bello Matawalle (Zamfara), and Simon Lalong (Plateau).
