• Holds close door meeting with Tinubu, Aregbesola, Ajimobi

By Ndubuisi Orji

NATIONAL leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Lagos State governor, Senator Bola Tinubu, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, Bisi Akande and Niyi Adebayo, former governors of Ogun, Osun and Ekiti states respectively, as well as Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State and his Oyo State counterpart, Senator Abiola Ajimobi met behind closed door at Osoba’s Ikoyi residence in Lagos yesterday.

At the end of the over three-hour meeting, which was also attended by the deputy governor of Lagos State, Mrs Idiat Adebule, and two Osoba’s loyalists,Senator Gbenga Obadara and former Ogun State deputy governor, Segun Adesegun, the former Ogun governor confirmed to journalists that he was fully back to the APC.

However, the governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun was absent at the meeting, which was aimed at addressing the issues that precipitated the exit of the former Ogun governor from the APC during the 2015 general election.

Osoba last year had dumped the APC for the Social Democratic Party (SDP), following political differences with Amosun.

Tinubu while fielding questions from journalists said Amosun was fully with the party. According to him, “Nobody is left out, it is all progressive and no one is left out. The governor of Ogun State is with us. Governor of Ogun State was elected on the platform of the APC and he is for the APC.

This is not a leaderless revolution; leaders are defined and identified and it is clear that we are all one including governor of Ogun State. “What is very crucial is forging one front and for us to remain progressive in our party. I am an apologetic progressive and I will remain a progressive. And that is the only philosophy and principle I believe. Wherever the progressives must unite with their vision I am for it.”

Speaking on the state of the nation,the APC leader blamed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the fuel crisis and other problems plaguing the country. He said if the former ruling party had done things right, Nigeria would not being in the state, it is now.

He said it is not correct for anyone to say that Nigerians are becoming impatient with the APC, noting that “they just want to see the direction of the direction of the economic policy and want to be certain of the future that we will not continue in the direction of leaderless, directionless and hopelessness of the past 16 years.

Earlier, Aregbesola while briefing journalists on the meeting said the leadership of the progressives in western Nigeria met to completely resolve differences within the leadership. The Osun governor, who was flanked by Adebayo, Ajimobi, Obadara and Adesegun said the reconciliation was necessary to enable the zone jointly prosecute its agenda for growth.

“The leadership in the western part of the country met today at the residence of Aremo Osoba and

have resolved all the differences within the leadership completely. As such we are happy to tell the world that the leadership of progressive politics is united. And we are ready to jointly prosecute the agenda for growth, purposeful leadership, development, good governance for the western part of Nigeria and we are committed to doing that for the entire nation.

And through that we have resolve to support the effort at the national to revived the economy and put

the people of Nigeria in a better stead than we met it when our party came to power. “The Aremo himself is back in the progressive leadership of Yoruba race. I have told you that the progressive leadership of Youraba race is now ready and charged to reposition our land and integrate with others nationwide in its stead. Progressive leadership is on the platform of All Progressives Congress, APC. All governors of the APC in the Western part of Nigeria are here. With the leadership united, whoever subscribe to the leadership of the leaders must be part of this, “ he said.