2027: APC govs visit Buhari amid allies’ defections to SDP

State governors elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) paid a visit to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari at his Kaduna State residence on Monday.

Led by Hope Uzodimma, executive Governor of Imo State, who is also the Chairman of the APC Governors Forum, the governors held a closed-door meeting with Buhari.

In an address to journalists after the meeting, Uzodimma said the visit was to look after Buhari’s well-being, describing him as the father of the APC.

However, the meeting comes amid the defection of some of Buhari’s loyalists from the APC to the Social Democratic Party.

First to defect was Nasir El-Rufai, former Kaduna State governor, who claimed to have obtained Buhari’s blessing to dump the APC.

According to reports, some former ministers who served in Buhari’s cabinet were perfecting plans to move en masse to the SDP.

In Buhari’s Katsina home state, some members of the APC have defected to the SDP.

However, Uzodimma said Monday’s visit by the APC governors to Buhari signified unity and strength within the ruling party.

He described Buhari as a father in politics and thanked God for the opportunity to meet him in good health.

He said after the Ramadan, Lent, and Eid-el-Fitr celebrations, they deemed it necessary to pay homage to the former president who served eight years under the APC.

Uzodimma said, “We came to pay former President Muhammadu Buhari a courtesy visit. You know former President Muhammadu Buhari is the only former president produced by the APC.

“We came and saw him in good health. We fraternised with him; we stayed with him and are ready to go back to our various businesses.

“We met with him and he is well pleased with our party. He expressed surprise about our visit. We are happy and thankful to Almighty God because we met him in good health. He is our father in politics. He is well pleased with our party and all of us, his children.

“He (Buhari) is well pleased with our visit. Members of our forum are pleased with him. We met him in good health because you know that our party, APC is the largest party in Africa and is the ruling party. The only party with 21 Governors. The party is strong, and we will continue to work hard to make it stronger.”

Uba Sani, Kaduna State Governor, commended Buhari for supporting President Bola Tinubu and the APC.

“We are here along with other APC governors to visit former President Muhammadu Buhari. We are happy the way former President Buhari is supporting our party and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Sani said.

The APC governors had a closed-door meeting with former President Buhari, where they discussed various issues affecting the party and the country.