APC Agrees On Zoning For Convention, Presidency

Governors of the All Progressives Congress on Tuesday said they were in support of the party’s new date for its National Convention.

Chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum and Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, revealed this after the Governors met with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja.

They also said that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has agreed to alternate offices between the north and south in the forthcoming dispensation.

This was disclosed on Tuesday by the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) after their meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Disclosing this while responding to a question, Kaduna Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufa’i dispelled reports of division among the APC Governors.

He however admitted there were disagreements overtime for the party’s National Convention.

Speaking on the outcome of the meeting, El-Rufa’i revealed that agreement had been reached on the zoning formula.

Explaining the newly agreed arrangements with regards to sharing positions in the party, El-Rufa’i said all offices that were occupied by northerners in the last eight years will go to the south and vice versa under the new arrangement.

“We have agreed a zoning formula for all the six geo-political zones. Essentially, northern zone will have the positions the South had in the last eight years and vice versa.

“It is a very simple, equitable and fair formula. We will now go back and consult at the zonal level and look at the positions that are available and the process of the convention preparation we started in earnest.

“So, by the grace of God, on the 26th of March, we would have done our national convention,” he said.

At the meeting were Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha and the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari.

Eighteen of the Governors are in attendance at the meeting taking place at the Council Chambers.

They are from Yobe, Ekiti, Ebonyi, Jigawa, Cross River, Kaduna, Lagos, Borno, Niger, Gombe, Osun, Kebbi, Anambra dep, Nasarawa, Kwara, Kano, Imo, Kogi, Ogun, and Plateau states.

The outgoing Anambra Deputy Governor is also in attendance.