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•Chieftain assures 2023 presidential aspirants of impartiality
Director-General of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Dr. Salihu Lukman, has resigned his appointment.
It was gathered that the DG was forced to resign due to his uncompromising stance that the national convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) be held next month in line with the wishes of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Governors elected on the platform of the platform, who met on Sunday night in Abuja, were said to have been sharply divided over Lukman’s continued stay in office.
However, a few of them, who insisted on his ouster, eventually had their way.
Efforts to reach Lukman over the development were futile.
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This is even as the PGF reaffirmed the February date for the convention during the Abuja parley that held at the Kebbi Lodge, Asokoro.
Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, who addressed reporters at the end of the closed-door meeting in the early hours of yesterday, maintained that the decision to stick to the February date was in tandem with the President Buhari’s desire.
He argued that his colleagues never disagreed sharply at any point in time over the scheduling of the event, as held in certain quarters.
Applauding the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led caretaker committee of the party for a good job thus far, the Kebbi State chief executive hinted that the exact date of the national convention would be announced by the panel in due course.
He said: “We took inputs about the views and we noted all the misrepresentations in the press. We seek to correct that the PGF is one united body, as you can see evidently from the attendance.
“And our decision is unanimous. We are united behind Mr. President, even as we are united too behind the caretaker committee of the party.
“We pass a vote of confidence on the caretaker committee, which has done an incredible job of running the party and mobilising people into the APC. We are very happy with their conduct. We have agreed. The announcement will come from the party. It’s a party decision and other stakeholders that they are consulting. We have to respect institutions. We are not going to overstep our bounds.”
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Also, a chieftain of the ruling party, Yekini Nabena, has assured those aspiring for the exalted seat of President in 2023 of a level-playing field during the primaries.
Nabena, who was the party’s Deputy Publicity Secretary, in a chat with journalists in Abuja, charged supporters to shun hate speech and campaign of calumny.
Stressing an issue-based electioneering, he submitted that whatever negative comments made against any of the contenders would later be weaponised by the opposition parties.
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