See How APC Governors Tackled Pres. Buhari Yesterday During Meeting

Yesterday,state governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress on Monday expressed their displeasure on how they were being sidelined in the choice of those being given federal appointments in their states by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The governors protested to Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo at a meeting they had at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to the report, learnt the complaints were not presented to Buhari at the larger meeting attended by the APC governors and some deputy governors.

A source, who spoke with Punch correspondent on condition of anonymity, said the larger meeting was only devoted to encouraging the President on the 21 Chibok girls recently released by Boko Haram, agriculture, the ongoing anti-corruption war and the forthcoming governorship election in Ondo State.

The source stated that the larger meeting, which also had in attendance political appointees like the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, and some presidential aides, lasted for a few minutes.

“During the larger meeting, the governors said they would like six of them to meet with the President and the Vice-President alone, but they did not disclose the agenda of the meeting then,” the source added.

At the second meeting, our correspondent learned, the governors expressed their displeasure with the way they were being sidelined while deciding who would benefit from federal appointments in their states.

The source gave the names of the six governors, who attended the meeting with the President and Vice-President as Rochas Okorocha (Imo); Adams Oshiomhole (Edo); Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara); Simon Long (Plateau); Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun) and Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna).

“The meeting was held right inside the President’s office. Presidential aides, including the SGF, were not part of that meeting. It was just between the President and the Vice-President on the one hand and the six governors on the other hand.

“They told the President clearly that they wanted to discuss issues of national importance with him and that the six governors would represent them,” .

The Plateau State Governor, Lalong, confirmed this development to State House correspondents at the end of the meeting.

Lalung said the President had asked those state governors, who had complaints to put them in writing while promising to look into them.

“So, all the states that have complaints are going to put them into writing, and the President promised that he is going to look into it,” he said.