Tinubu summons 76 Osun APC leaders to Abuja over party disquiet

President Bola Tinubu convened an emergency meeting with 76 leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State at the Aso Rock Villa. The gathering aimed to quell growing internal dissent within the party as it approaches the August 15 governorship election.

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The meeting was at the instance of an intelligence report from the NSA. I am aware that he told Tinubu that many APC leaders in Osun were not happy and had not been carried along in the party’s affairs, including the ongoing campaign. Ribadu said the development, if not urgently addressed, could jeopardise the chances of the party.

The urgent meeting was prompted by a report from National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu. Sources revealed Ribadu's intelligence indicated that a significant number of APC leaders in Osun felt marginalized and excluded from party affairs, including the ongoing election campaign. This internal friction, the report warned, could undermine the party's prospects in the upcoming poll.

During the late-night session, President Tinubu urged the assembled leaders to reconcile their differences and work together to secure a victory for the party's candidate, Bola Oyebamiji. To facilitate attendance, some leaders were provided with chartered flights from Ibadan, while others traveled from Lagos. The meeting served as a platform for these leaders to voice their grievances directly to the President.

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The President then immediately called SRJ (Basiru) and told him to organise the APC leaders who have not been involved in the scheme of things in Osun. Basiru made the arrangement, including getting flights for us in Ibadan, and the President met us late Monday night at the Aso Rock. We returned to Osun on Tuesday morning.

One APC chieftain, speaking anonymously, confirmed that the National Secretary of the APC, Ajibola Basiru, was tasked by the Presidency with coordinating the attendance of these disaffected leaders. The chieftain emphasized that Ribadu's report was the direct catalyst for the President summoning the group, highlighting the perceived threat to the party's electoral success if the issues were not addressed promptly. The leaders expressed their concerns about the distribution of federal appointments, noting that they had been largely overlooked.

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APC leaders who have been sidelined in the scheme of things in the state were the ones at the meeting. We were around 76 in number at the meeting. It was an opportunity for the President to know the truth about what is happening in Osun State.