All the APC southwest governors except one were absent at Daura where others in the APC Governors Forum has an air-tight meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in his hometown Friday.
While there were speculations the two-hour-long meeting was about Buhari’s ambition for 2019 because Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi rumoured to have been appointed the 2019 campaign director was there, the governors insisted it was to sympathise with the president who lost two relatives three weeks ago.
Amaechi and Kaduna Governor Nasir el Rufai were bussed into Buhari’s residence shortly after the arrival of the other governors, and they left earlier than others.
Answering questions from journalists, Chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum Rochas Okorocha said the governors were in Daura to condole with Buhari.
He added the governors also used the opportunity to commend the president for appointing Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as the APC chief mediator.
The governors at the meeting included Katsina Governor, Aminu Masari; his counterparts from Zamfara and Sokoto states, Abdulazeez Yari and Aminu Tambuwal.
Others were Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi); Jigawa(Baderu); Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano); Tanko Almakura (Nasarawa); Yahaya Bello (Kogi); Abdulfatahi Ahmed (Kwara) and Kashim Shettima (Borno), Godwin Obaseki (Edo) and Rochas Okorocha (Imo)
Apart from Oyo Gov. Isiaka Ajumobi, other governors, including Akinwumi Ambode (Lagos), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), and Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo) were absent.