Buhari’s meeting with APC reps ends in deadlock

The move by President Muhammadu Buhari to resolve the leadership crisis in the  house of representatives did not yield the desired result.  

The meeting between Buhari and APC lawmakers ended in a stalemate, but discussions were expected to continue on Monday night.

Buhari had called the meeting at the presidential villa in Abuja ahead of the resumption of the national assembly on Tuesday.

But the meeting which had both factions of the house in attendance only lasted 20 minutes, with each camp holding its grounds on the choice of principal officers in the house.

Buhari insisted on the supremacy of the party but both camps defined the supremacy differently.

The speaker, Yakubu Dogara, and the party’s preferred majority leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, both attended the meeting.

Gbajabiamila, who first spoke to newsmen, said Buhari insisted on party supremacy.

“We are still talking. But I think this is the first time everybody is coming together in a cordial atmosphere. We came together for the first time as one family, with a lot of camaraderie. I think we are almost at the point where all of these will be behind us. Hopefully, by tomorrow (Tuesday),” he said.

“It is not about magic, it is about what should have been done a long time ago. We have finally sat down together and we will resolve it before the night, in a couple of hours.

“The important thing is that the country wants to move ahead. The House wants to move ahead and the party wants to move ahead. Move ahead, we shall.

“Whoever or whatever outside forces that might have been stoking the fire, I think we would put that to an end this evening at the meeting.”

APC chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, said: “Everything is upbeat. You can see that I am smiling. You will be very surprised that a lot was achieved in 20 minutes.

“As the chairman of the party, I can say that there are no discordant tunes. You can see the speaker of the house standing firmly beside me and I have a feeling that in another three or four hours and by tomorrow, we will have a good news for the nation.

“It is never too late to straighten the path. I have a feeling in another three four hours and by tomorrow, we will have come to a compromise and have good news for the nation.”

On whether this was not coming late, he said “it is never too late to strengthen the party”.

Dogara said he had always stood by the party, telling the media: “There has never been a time that I never stood firmly by the party. So like my chairman has  explained, we are going into consultations with the party and I am sure sooner than later, we will have good news for Nigeria.

“I have always stood firmly by the party and like my chairman has just explained, we will go to do consultations with the party and I am sure sooner than later, we will have good news for Nigerian”

A few hours to the commencement of the meeting, Yusuf Lasun, deputy speaker of the assembly, had vowed to resist “pressure from individuals or groups to resign” in order to allow Gbajabiamila emerge as the majority leader of the house.