Sources: APC governors agree to fund elective convention

Governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have agreed to fund the elective convention of the party, sources told TheCable on Wednesday.

TheCable understands that the convention is subject to the reversal of the decision of the national executive committee  (NEC) which extended the tenure of the party executives.

The party’s NEC meeting is billed to meet on Monday.

On February 27, NEC extended the tenure of the national working committee (NWC) led by John Oyegun, by 12 months.

But that decision was rejected by some members of the party and on March 27, President Muhammadu Buhari kicked against it.

The president said he wanted to avoid a legal battle that could jeopardise the party’s cohesion before the 2019 general election.

A source told TheCable that the party decided to hold the convention following meetings held between the APC governors and the party NWC on Wednesday.

The governors had also held meetings with the president.

The source said the APC governors have also agreed to foot the bill for the convention to which N1.5 billion has already been budgeted.

“The party has agreed to go ahead with the convention based on the reversal of the previous NEC decision to extend the tenure of party’s executives,” the source said.

The source also said the idea of the extension of the tenure of party executives was “sold” to Oyegun as he did not seek for it.

“Extension was sold to Oyegun, he didn’t seek for it. Some of the governors were at his residence were at his residence appealing to him,” the source said.

“One of the conditions he gave the president and governors is that as long as he remains chairman he will perform all his roles according to the party’s constitution. He said he must be given free hand to pick chairs of committees for the conventions.”

A date for the convention will be announced after NEC reverses its early decision and approves recommendations of a report by a technical committee set up to look into the extension of the party’s executive.