Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) met Thursday with the president Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Naija News It had previously reported that the governors were headed by the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) and Kebbi State Governor Atiku Bagudu.
President Buhari, speaking at the meeting, said that the opposition parties were too confident that they would defeat the APC in the recently concluded presidential election.
He said that while the APC worked hard to retain power, the combined opposition enjoyed an overconfidence.
Buhari said, “They were already telling their foreign backers that they would defeat the APC. Our Party combined trust with caution, we worked hard and we won. Now his overconfidence is creating more problems for the opposition than for anyone else.
“They are having a hard time convincing their outside supporters why they can’t beat us. A combination of overconfidence, complacency and poor tactical play got them losing, clear and clear. This has created more problems in their camp. Why couldn’t they get us out?”
President Buhari, speaking on an issue raised by Governor Bagudu, said: “A big reason why I congratulate Asiwaju on winning is because the opposition got support and false hopes from abroad and kept creating the impression that they will win, that they will defeat us. What more wrong could anyone be?
The president, in a statement issued through his press aide Garba Shehu, urged the APC governors to stick together and openly address issues among themselves.
He said, “Try and keep solving problems. Be brave to openly discuss them with each other. This is the best way to survive politically in Nigeria.
“You (Governors) have a schedule to meet regularly and discuss issues and how to maintain the Party across the country.”
President Buhari also spoke about his retirement proposal, noting that he intends to stay at home in Daura for six months before finally moving to Kaduna.
He thanked Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai for the infrastructure he had provided, adding that the Kano Governor had also done the same.
Bagudu said the visit was ostensibly to say “Happy Sallah” to the president and thank him for the leadership he has given to the Party and the nation.
The PGF Chairman, while congratulating President Buhari on the party’s victory in the presidential election, said: “Congratulations, your Party won the Presidency, the majority in the Senate and for being the leading Party in the House of Representatives. These successes would not have happened without his support.
“History will kindly remember you. Around the world, the election is being held because of the turbulence in the region and the developing world, all courtesy of his leadership. We won by sheer hard work, the same thing you’ve always encouraged us to do. We thank you immensely for everything.”
Some of the governors at the meeting included Nasir El-Rufai from Kaduna State, Mohammed Badaru from Jigawa State, Ben Ayade from Cross River State, Hope Uzodinma from Imo State, Abdullahi Sule from Nasarawa State, Simon Lalong from Plateau of State, Aminu Bello Masari from Katsina State and Yahaya Bello from Kogi State.
Others include Dapo Abiodun from Ogun State, Biodun Oyebanji from Ekiti State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu from Lagos State, and Abdulrasaq Abdulrahman from Kwara State, among others.
