President Muhammadu Buhari has said that he was still waiting to hear from more Nigerians before he takes any decision to re-contest for the presidency next year.
The President’s position is coming in spite of continued pressures from All Progressives Congress (APC) governors asking him to seek re-election in 2019.
The APC governors also on Thursday passed a vote of confidence on the National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun in the wake of the recent comment by the national leader of the party, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that Odigie-Oyegun was frustrating the party’s reconciliation efforts.
Specifically, the APC governors had held a closed-door meeting with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where they told the President to contest for second term in 2019, saying: “He has done excellently well, and deserves re-election.
Speaking to State House correspondents after the late night meeting, which was also attended by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello said the governors urged the President to stand for the 2019 election because of his achievements.
He, however, said President Buhari was still consulting and would make up his mind after he has gauged the opinion of Nigerians on the matter.
On his interpretation of the President’s body language on their request, Bello said: “The President is still consulting and he wants more Nigerians to speak before he can make up his mind. But I am very comfortable that Nigerians will speak loud.”
Commenting on Tinubu’s allegation that Odigie-Oyegun was allegedly frustrating his reconciliation efforts, Bello said the APC governors had passed a vote of confidence in his leadership of the party.
“We the governors and majority of APC members have confidence in Odigie-Oyegun. We also believe in the President for appointing Tinubu to reconcile some aggrieved members of our party.
“However, one size fits all will not work in all the states where some erring members need to be disciplined,” he added.
Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, Rochas Okorocha, who spoke with the newsmen, said he and his colleagues met to persuade the President to contest next year’s polls.
Other governors present at the meeting include, Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State, Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State and Solomon Lalong of Plateau State, among others.
