APC moves to woo Amaechi Monday

The All Progressives congress will be
meeting with the Rivers State Governor,
Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, on Monday,
SUNDAY PUNCH has learnt.
The APC said received warm reception
when it visited two of the seven
aggrieved governors of the ruling
Peoples Democratic Party, who formed
the New PDP.
The G-7 governors are Aliyu Wamakko
(Sokoto State), Sule Lamido(Jigawa
State), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers State),
Aliyu Babangida (Niger State), Abdulfatai
Ahmed (Kwara State), Murtala Nyako
(Adamawa State) and Rabiu Kwakwanso
(Kano State).
The leadership of the APC had visited
Governor Rabi’u Kwankwaso of Kano
State on Thursday and Governor Murtala
Nyako of Adamawa State on Friday to
woo them to the opposition party.
An APC chief, who preferred anonymity,
told our correspondent on the
telephone on Saturday that the
opposition party will be in Port Harcourt
on Monday to meet Amaechi.
The source said, “They (the governors)
have received us very warmly and we
are encouraged by their reception and
response. We are very confident and
hopeful that our efforts would not be in
vain. We are going to meet Amaechi in
Port Harcourt on Monday.
The party will be meeting with other
rebel governors soon after.
Meanwhile, a leader of the APC in Kwara
State, Francis Okafor, has advised the
national leadership of party to be
cautious in allowing members of the
New PDP into the APC.
Okafor told journalists in Ilorin on
Saturday that caution was necessary to
prevent the governors from hijacking
the APC structures.
The Peoples Democratic Party has
however said it was sure that none of
its governors will answer the invitation
extended to them by the All
Progressives Congress.
Deputy National Publicity Secretary of
the party, Mr. Abdulahi Jalo, who stated
this in a telephone interview with our
correspondent in Abuja on Saturday,
added that it was wrong for the APC to
have started what he called “campaign”
when the Independent National
Electoral Commission had yet to lift ban
on political activities in the country.
He said, “This is a clear breach of the
Electoral Act and we hope that the INEC
and the security agencies are aware of
this.
“The leaders of the APC should retrace
their steps and stop this campaign. They
should stop trampling on the
magnanimity of the President.”
Asked whether the party would sanction
the Governor of Adamawa State,
Admiral Murtala Nyago(retd.), who has
given an indication that he might ditch
the ruling party in his discussion with
the opposition party, Jalo said no.
He said, “This is because it is these
people who went to him and started
persuading him to leave our party. It
was not the governor that went to
them.
“What I know is that the peace process
is not over yet. Our President and the
President still want him in the party.
They are very important in our party.
We don’t want to lose them.”