President Muhammadu Buhari and the Ogun State Governor, Mr Ibikunle Amosun, held another closed-door meeting in Abuja on Sunday.
It was the fourth time Amosun would meet with Buhari at the Presidential Villa in the past few weeks.
On December 24, 2018, the governor led the National Chairman of the Allied Peoples Movement, Alhaji Yusuf Dantalle, to the Villa to submit a letter adopting Buhari as APM’s presidential candidate.
However, on Sunday, Amosun went to the State House in company with the Ogun State governorship candidate of the APM for the February election, Mr Adekunle Akinlade.
The latest meeting was held days after a former governor of the state, Chief Olusegun Osoba, had on December 28, 2018, taken the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the state, Mr Dapo Abiodun, to see Buhari at the Villa.
Recall that pictures of Buhari raising the hand of Abiodun after the meeting, hit the social media almost immediately.
There is a power tussle between Amosun and the APC in Ogun State.
Akinlade was Amosun’s preferred candidate for the APC ticket. But when Akinlade lost out, he defected to the APM to become its candidate.
Meanwhile, the governor remains a card-carrying member of the APC, though most of his associates and aides had joined other parties, including the APM.
Speaking with State House correspondents after Sunday’s meeting (yesterday), Amosun said he came to wish Buhari a happy new year.
He also stated that he brought Akinlade to further pledge their support and loyalty to Buhari.
“It is to also tell him that in the coming elections in the contest of South-West, Ogun State will not be left behind. We are going to give him massive votes that have never been seen in the history of Ogun State.
“That is what we are here to reassure him, and of course, you see the candidate of the APM with me. Yes, this is not the first time we have come to say hello to Mr President, but this is a new year and we just think it will be appropriate, particularly we all know we are working hand-in-hand with Mr President to make sure that he wins the state,” he added.
Though he did not give details of the discussions at the meeting, Amosun said, “Most of the discussions we had today centred on Nigeria; how he wants everything to be done.
“I was even saying to him that with what you have done, you have demonstrated that we have turned the bend and very soon, we will get there.”
Speaking on his impression of Buhari, Akinlade said the President was a wonderful person.
“He is a very wonderful person and someone that I have deep respect for and as a father of the nation, I must say very clearly that I am impressed with what I saw; a very down to earth human being,” he added.
He further stated that the APM had adopted Buhari as its presidential candidate and would do everything to ensure his victory on February 16.
Recall that when Osoba visited with the APC candidate, he too had told reporters that Buhari was solidly behind Abiodun to win the governorship poll.
However, the Presidency on Sunday quickly gave Buhari’s stance on the Ogun drama, saying that the President would campaign only for APC candidates.
It explained that the reason Buhari received visitors on courtesy visits was because as the father of the nation, he welcomed all to the State House and listened to them.
A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, read in part, “Following repeated media enquiries on the matter, the Presidency wishes to state in clear and unmistakable terms that as a party leader and a candidate on the platform of the All Progressives Congress in the coming elections, President Muhammadu Buhari will campaign for the party and all its candidates.
“This, however, does not mean that he, as the nation’s leader, will decline courtesy calls or offers of support from citizens, including candidates flying the flags of other parties.
“So please let there be no confusion about this. President Buhari is the APC.”
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