Following widespread reports that they apologized to the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Bamanga Tukur, when they visited him at his Abuja home, the three northern governors who attended the meeting stated yesterday that, nothing of such happened as they only apologized on behalf of their colleagues who could not make it to the meeting.
Governors Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Musa Kwankwaso (Kano) and Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), held a closed-door meeting with Tukur for several hours on Thursday.
The three, alongside Governors Babangida Aliyu (Niger) and Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), had earlier met some of the country’s former leaders as well as influential foundation members of the PDP over the ongoing crisis in the party and disclosing their position in the matter.
Aside demanding Tukur’s resignation, the governors have also demanded that Jonathan honours an alleged one-term agreement he made with the North; control of party structure in their respective states; recognition of Governor Rotimi Amaechi as chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum among others.
Okpala, media aide to the embattled Chairman, had after Thursday’s meeting claimed the three governors apologised to Tukur, who then forgave them.
“Three out of five northern governors of the PDP, namely Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); and Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), had a closed-door meeting with the National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, that lasted for several hours and the governors apologised on behalf of the other governors notably, those of Adamawa and Niger states,” Tukur’s aide had said.
Debunking the claim, Sani Umar, Wamakko’s media aide denied that the governors apologised to Tukur over their stance on the leadership of the party.
“The governors only apologised to the PDP national chairman over the absence of Messrs. Aliyu and Nyako from the meeting, he said.
On his part, Halilu Dantiye, the Special Adviser (Media) to Mr. Kwankwaso said that although he read Okapala’s statement, he would not comment on it until he is asked to do so by his boss.
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