The national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Abdullahi Adamu was obviously absent at a meeting scheduled for APC governors and the party executives on Monday night.
President Muhammadu Buhari had urged the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) and the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) to meet on the possibility of reaching a decision on a consensus candidate.
Chronicle NG reports that the national chairman who was supposed to play a pivotal role in the meeting was absent after a botched attempt to install Senate President, Ahmad Lawan as the consensus candidate.
Adamu in a meeting on Monday afternoon had claimed that President Buhari had agreed on Lawan as the consensus candidate of the party but most of the NWC members kicked against it.
Sources close to the meeting told Chronicle NG that Adamu had reportedly offered each NWC member $50,000 bribe to concur with him on the democratic coup.
At the meeting with the governors which held at the party’s national secretariat, almost all NWC members were in attendance except Adamu.
Governors in attendance include Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos; Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna; Governor Umar Ganduje of Kano; Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau; Governor Sani Bello of Niger; Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa; Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno; Governor Mohammad Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe among others.
The governors that arrived at the party’s national secretariat around 8 pm, and headed to the NEC Hall of the party came out without addressing newsmen that waited endlessly.
Chronicle Ng reports that the meeting lasted for over hour but both parties could not reach an agreement on a consensus candidate.
According to a source close to the governors, the venue of the meeting was shifted to the residence of Adamu but he was not at home either, further increasing the tension that is brewing in the party.