Details are beginning to emerge on why the peace meeting scheduled for Wednesday, August 31 between the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu and other presidential aspirants of the party who contested at the party’s primaries in June failed.
Tinubu polled 1,271 votes to clinch the party’s presidential ticket at the special national convention, which had 23 aspirants, with nine withdrawing from the contest before the commencement of the primary election.
National Daily gathered that the peace meeting which was initiated by one of the aspirants, Dr. Nicolas Felix was expected to mend fences between Tinubu, Vice President Yemi Osibanj, Lawan Amaechi and others who contested the presidential primary in June ahead of the 2023 general elections.
A source close to one of the presidential aspirants, however, told journalists that most of the key presidential aspirants invited for the meeting did not show interest, adding that a particular aspirant from the North did not even acknowledge the invitation letter sent to him.
The source, a party chieftain who did not want his name in print, said, “It seems some of these aspirants are yet to come to terms with our presidential candidate because some of them are not seen to be rallying the needed support for the party yet.
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Another source who spoke on condition of anonymity revealed that Tinubu’s romance with leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), especially Rivers State governor is the reason why Ameachi shunned the peace meeting.
According to the source, the Minister, who came second at the presidential primary election, “felt slighted that Tinubu and his men were making overtures to Governor Nysom Wike.”
Those invited for the meeting include Vice President Osinbajo; Lawan; Amaechi; former Science and Technology minister, Ogbonnaya Onu; former minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba; former minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio; Governors Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), Ben Ayade (Cross River) and Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti).
Others are former Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; Senator Ajayi Boroffice; former Zamfara State governor, Ahmad Sani; former Imo State governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha; a former Senate president, Ken Nnamani, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole; Pastor Tunde Bakare; Pastor and businessman, Dr Nicolas Felix; former Information minister, Ikeobasi Mokelu; business mogul, Tein Jack-Rich, and the only female among them, Uju Ken-Ohanenye.
A statement issued by one of the aspirants and convener of the peace meeting, Dr. Felix, who said the meeting was postponed without giving reason for the postponement, noted that a new date will be communicated soon.