APC governors in a group photograph with President Buhari

State Governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Friday said their mission to Daura, Katsina State, was merely to condole with President Muhammadu Buhari over the loss of two members of his extended family.

The Chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum, Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo, stated this when he fielded questions from newsmen after a closed door meeting with President Buhari at his private resident in Daura, on Friday.

He dismissed media reports that their mission to Daura was aimed at convincing the President to seek re-election in the forthcoming presidential election in 2019.

He said the governors also used the opportunity to commend the president for appointing Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as APC Chief Mediator.

The president had last week appointed Tinubu  to reconcile aggrieved members of the party.

“We are yet to discuss that. That would be in next the meeting where we will discuss whether we want to support him to run or not.

“But for now we came on the issue of the death of his two relatives and to commend him for action taken on Tinubu as a conciliator,’’ he said.

Also speaking on the outcome of the meeting, Gov. Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa, said they were in Daura to also sympathise with the president over the involvement of his son, Yusuf, in a ghastly auto-accident and the death of his two relatives.

He described the appointment of Tinubu as APC chief mediator as a wonderful initiative by the President.

“After the condolences, we had some very intimate discussion that further bound our relationships and affinity together and I believe this is a continuation of our closed association and support, loyalty and commitment to Mr President’s cause and Nigeria’s cause,’’ he said.

President Buhari had met behind closed doors with members of the 18 state governors of the APC Governors’ Forum in Daura, Katsina State on Friday.

Three of the governors were represented by their deputies at the meeting, which started at about 2.45 p.m.

The governors attending the meeting include the Chairman of the Governors’ Forum and Zamfara Governor, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari; Rochas Okorocha (Imo); Abubakar Muhammed (Bauchi); Kashim Shettima (Borno); Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo) and Malam Nasir El-Rufa’I of Kaduna State.

Others are Gov. Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa, Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano); Godwin Obaseki of Edo; Yahaya Bello (Kogi); Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi); Abubakar Sani-Bello (Niger) and Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State, while the governors of Benue, Osun and Ogun were represented by their deputies.

The governors of Yobe and Plateau were also represented at the meeting.