Tinubu wades into Ekiti APC crisis

APC national leader Bola Tinubu and 25 guber aspirants in the forthcoming primary election in Ekiti met Friday behind closed door at the old government house in Marina, Lagos.

Present at the meeting are President Muhammadu Buhari’s loyalist and Minister of Mines and Steel Development Kayode Fayemi, and 24 others gunning for the APC ticket for the July governorship election in Ekiti.

Fayemi is among the APC members that bailed out of the Lagos crowd after 2015, pitching his tent with Buhari and the Aso Rock cabal that nearly severed the political tie between Tinubu and Buhari.

Tinubu told news men the meeting was about putting the party in order in preparation for the primary election on May 7.

According to him, the aspirants were invited to get their commitment to cooperate with one another and with the party’s leadership.

“We invited them; they came over and they have been here for hours. For what purpose? Free and fair primary that is transparent, that is not tainted, that is incorruptible, that is indisputable and they said that is what they demanded of us,” he said.

“We have, therefore, agreed to guarantee that there will not be interference in the political situation and to pledge our support for them.”

Tinubu further stated that the leadership of the APC also made the aspirants commit to working with whoever emerges the party’s candidate in the primary.

All of them will be returning to Lagos after the primary is over in preparation for the guber election on July 14.

Buhari, few weeks ago, saddled Tinubu with the responsibility of uniting the fragmented APC in the run-up to 2015 elections.