Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, Governors’ Forum, Rochas Okorocha, has boasted that the party controls 22 states and 53 Senators, vowing that no governor will defect from the party again.
This came as Senator Aliyu Wamakko, former governor of Sokoto State, said that in a few days, it would be clear who was in control of the state, in apparent response to the defection of his successor, Aminu Tambuwal, to Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Wednesday.
Okorocha, who gave the assurance at the end of a closed-door meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and APC governors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday night, told State House correspondents that the meeting deliberated on the defections of three of their colleagues.
“Three of our colleagues left our party, this is politics. It is unfortunate that they have to go. We have 22 states, 53 senators now. Nobody is leaving the party anymore. Those who have left, we are aware that they will leave long ago.
“President Buhari means well and he is willing to fight corruption and you all know if you are fighting corruption, it will fight back. This is what’s happening,” the governor said.
National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, Adams Oshiohmole, who also spoke on the outcome of the meeting, said the governors paid a solidarity visit to President Buhari.
The governors who attended the meeting included Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa, Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos; Yahaya Bello of Kogi; Jubril Bindow of Adamawa, Kashim Shettima of Borno, Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi and Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo.
Also at the meeting were Ogun state governor, Ibikunle Amosun, Simon Lalong of Plateau, Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano and Sani Bello of Niger.
Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna, Tanko Almakura of Nasarawa, Godwin Obaseki of Edo and Osun deputy governor, Grace Laoye-Tomori, were also in attendance.
Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara, who is the current chairman of the Governors’ Forum, as well as governors of Bauchi and Yobe states were absent at the meeting.
Meanwhile, former governor of Sokoto State, Senator Aliyu Wamakko, has said in a few days, it would be clear who was in control of the state.
Wamakko, who now represents Sokoto North senatorial district, said in a few days’ time, it will be clear which party was really in control of the state.
Wamakko said this in reaction to the defection of Aminu Tambuwal, the state governor, from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Tambuwal was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives under the platform of PDP but defected to APC in 2014.
He won the governorship ticket of the APC and defeated the PDP candidate in the 2015 election.
Wamakko, who spoke in an interview on NTA network news, said Sokoto was “solidly” an APC state.
He said the people of the state were behind him and the other lawmakers still in the ruling party.
Wamakko served as the state governor between 2007 and 2015.
Noting that there was no cause for alarm and urging people to disregard whatever they might have seen, Wamakko said: “Let me assure you that the Sokoto State where I come from is an APC state. The entire state is solidly APC.
“Insha Allah, by Saturday or Sunday when I get back to Sokoto, you will see who is really in charge of Sokoto. I am assuring you that there is no cause for alarm.
“Whatever you might have seen or might have been told, just take it as a mere story. What I am sure is that Sokoto State is solely an APC state.
“The people of Sokoto are solidly behind Mr President, General Muhammadu Buhari, they are certainly behind Wamakko, their senator and their former governor, they are solidly behind all the other senators and House of Assembly members who remain in APC.”
While Tambuwal defected, Ahmed Aliyu, his deputy, is still in the APC.
