*Action not unconnected with Buhari’s comment on debtor governors
*Attendance not mandatory – APC spokesman
Few days after President Muhammadu Buhari advised Nigerian voters not to re-elect any governor owing workers salaries, all governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, on Thursday shunned the inaugural meeting of APC Presidential Campaign Council.
All the 24 APC governors are members of the Presidential campaign council and designated as coordinators for their various states.
The inaugural meeting which took place in the Presidential Villa, Abuja was summoned to fine-tune strategies for the APC presidential campaign.
The council was inaugurated Monday by President Buhari at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
Though President Buhari’s admonition to voters not to re-elect governors that are owing salaries had ruffled some feathers, it is not clear if this is the reason the governors stayed away from the meeting of APC campaign council.
Majority of APC governors owe workers in their states several months’ salary arrears.
President Buhari, who spoke with the Hausa service of the Voice of America on Tuesday morning, called on Nigerians not to re-elect governors who failed in their first terms, especially those who failed to pay civil servants salaries even after collecting bailouts from the federal government.
He said he saw no justification in governors collecting bailout funds from the federal government and still failing to pay wages.
“I wonder how these governors are able to sleep knowing that they have refused to pay workers their wages.
“These workers have families to cater for; they pay rent, pay school fees, Hospital bills and food for their families”, he said.
The president advised Nigerians to use their voting rights to make sure that they only vote for people who would deliver.
Reacting to the absence of APC governors at the campaign council meeting, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu said their attendance was not mandatory as the agenda does not require every member of the council to be present.
His words: “The agenda for the meeting had to do with drawing the timetable and deciding on the messaging. It didn’t require everyone in the council to be present.
“Meanwhile, this is not the inaugural meeting. After the inauguration on Monday, there have been not less than three meetings of the council,” he said.
In attendance were Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the co-chairman of the campaign council, the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, who is the deputy chairman of the council.
Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, the Director General of the campaign team, Sen. Olorunnimbe Mamora, the Director General (Operations), and Waziri Bulama the Deputy Director General (Coordination) were in attendance.
Also in attendance were the zonal directors for the campaign council, North West: Senator Aliyu M. Wamakko, North East: Senator Muh’d Ali Ndume, North Central: Senator Abdullahi Adamu, South West: Sola Oke, South East: Sharon Ikeazor and South South: Senator Godswill Akpabio.
Other members of the Presidential Campaign Council present were Sen. George Akume, vice chairman North and Sen. Ken Nnamani, vice chairman south, and others.
