Buhari’s health not a challenge -APC Govs

The Forum of All Progressives Congress Governors has said President Muhammadu Buhari’s inability to preside over the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for the third consecutive time over his health condition is not a challenge to the body, saying they are not worried as such meeting is not compulsory for the president.

Addressing newsmen on Wednesday night after a closed door meeting with the National Working Committee (NWC) of the governing party, Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, who spoke on behalf of other governors, said it is a normal thing for the President at the age of 74 to have one ailment or the other.

When asked whether the Progressives Governors and the party were worried over inability of President Buhari to preside over FEC meeting, el-rufai answered to the contrary.

“We are not worried about the development, it is not compulsory for the President to preside over every Federal Executive Council (FEC). That is why our constitution makes available the place of the Vice President.

“Mr. President is 74 years old; at that age, it is possible to have one ailment or the other, even I at 57 take medications for one ailment or the other. Our prayers is that the president gets better but the reason he has a
Vice President is because of a time like this, it may not be as a reason of sickness at he did not attend Federal Executive Council (FEC), he may have had other pressing issues to attend to. I have not had to chair every state Executive Council in Kaduna state because the deputy governor is there if I have other issues of greater priority to attend to.

“We are not worried yet or have any reason to be worried but I call on every Nigerian to pray for the improve health of the President. It has improved in the last few weeks since he came back and we will continue to pray for his improve health”.

Speaking on the outcome of the closed door meeting, he said: “The most important decision is that henceforth we will hold a meeting here at the National secretariat once every month.

He said: “This is with a view to increase the interaction, foster relations between the National and state branches of the party as well as work towards strengthening the party. We also took certain resolutions and the first is that the Progressives governors have committed to work assiduously at strengthening and rebuilding the party and ensuring reconciliation and unification of the party at all levels.

“We have committed to providing the NWC all the support that they need. We will also engage in fund raising from our donors, sympathizers of the APC to ensure that the National headquarters of the party and indeed all organs of the party have the wherewithal to continue with the difficult work they have been doing within the party.

“The joint meeting between the NWC and the governors also resolved that at our next meeting, we are going to look at the arrangements for the midterm convention and put in place the resources necessary needed to ensure that the convention holds as required by our party.

“The governors restate their loyalty to Mr. President, the Vice President and all leaders of our party will enjoin Nigerians to continue to pray for the improved health of the President. We are proud as a party and as governors, the Progress that the state governments under the APC have recorded in the last few months and the increasing performance of the federal government at the National level. The governors will continue to advance the course of
good governance, fighting corruption and improving security in our country”.

Meanwhile, in what appear as crisis degeneration, four state governors among others loyal to the national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, on Wednesday boycotted the meeting with the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.

The absentee governors loyal to the former Lagos State Governor include Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos, Rauf Aregbesola of Osun and Godwin Obaseki of Edo State.

The governor of Adamawa State, Senator Muhammadu Umaru Jibrilla Bindo, was also absent.
The NWC meeting with the serving governors on the platform of APC was earlier scheduled for last week.