By Danlami Nmodu
Seven More Governors will travel from Nigeria to London Tuesday night for a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari who is on medical vacation in London. Hints of the latest trip were confirmed by the Presidency while briefing state House Correspondents.
Special Adviser on Media and Publicity,Mr Femi Adesina and the Senior Special Assistant ,Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba spoke on the matter. While Adesina confirmed the latest trip, Shehu announced the names of the those who have been nominated by the Nigeria Governors Forum to visit Buhari.
According to Shehu, “The delegation is being led the governor of Zamfara State, who is the chairman of the governors forum.
“In the delegation are governors of Ebonyi, Dave Umahi; Kano, Umar Gandoje; Borno, Kassim Shettima; Benue, Samuel Ortom; Akwa Ibom, Udom Emmanuel and Oyo, Abiola Ajumobi.
“They will leave by tonight and arrive the U.K. early and will have 3pm meeting tomorrow.
The names disclosed include two PDP governors while there are five APC Governors including Yari, the chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum.
Asked why the vocal governor of Ekiti State,Ayo Fayose is not on the list, Adesina said “The selection was by the governors forum and you will see that the delegation is headed by governor Yari who is chairman of that forum. So that question should go to the forum.”
Meanwhile, Shehu described the trip as a goodwill visit. “The visit is a goodwill visit and there is nothing more than that. I believe Nigerians in various position have yearned to go meet the president and at some point this obviously has not been permitted. But given the change in circumstances you can see that is coming from London …As a cultural people we visit people leaving hospital and I’m sure the president himself will be delighted to see people coming (from) six geo-political zones, coming to convey the goodwill of Nigerians,” he said.
When told that the visits were curious given assertions that the president has been recovering fast, Adesina replied, “It should be the other way. Instead of being curious it should be the right time for the visit like Malam Garba said earlier. When somebody has recovered or something or the other happened, it is in our culture for us to visit such a person. So, this is the right time because the news is that he is recovering and recovering well. I’m sure you are aware of the letter he just wrote to the African Union Chairman when he told him that he is making very good progress. So, this is the proper time for him to receive delegations rather than when he was indisposed.”
Asked to disclose when the president will return and if there will be a cabinet reshuffle, Adesina said “That already is in public domain. He will come back when the doctors certify. It is in the letter he wrote to the AU chairman which was made public this afternoon also contains that one. He said he was just waiting for his doctors to tell him all is well and then he will return home.
“If anybody is giving a timeline that person might have information that we don’t have yet. But the information at our disposal is that the president will return as soon as his doctors give him the go ahead.
“In terms of whether they will be a shakeup of government or not, the President is the head of the government and (it) is his prerogative, so nobody can speak for him on that.”
Some APC governors and leaders of the ruling party had on Sunday visited President Buhari.Though critics had lampooned the photo released afterwards, a knowledge able Newsdiaryonline source said the meeting on Sunday indeed took place.
