2019: Buhari appoints Tinubu to head APC reconciliation team

Ahead of the electioneering leading up to 2019 elections, President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to lead the consultation, reconciliation and confidence building efforts toward improving cohesion within the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The information is in a two-paragraph statement issued by Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity in Abuja on Tuesday.

According to the presidential aide, the assignment will involve resolving disagreements among party members, party leadership and political office holders in some states of the federation. The appointment of Tinubu was a demonstration of confidence in party stalwart thus putting paid to insinuation that he may have fallen apart with the President.

The ruling party has been embroiled in crisis in different states. In Kano State, there has been crisis involving supporters of former Gov. Rabiu Kwakwanso and the serving Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje. Kaduna State has its crisis too between supporters of Senator Shehu Sani and Governor Nasir el Rufai.

It would be recalled that the Presidency on Jan. 29 summoned Gov. Ganduje and Kwakwanso over the aborted Jan. 30 visit of the former governor to Kano to avert breakdown of law and order in the state.

The governor, accompanied by two serving senators and two members of House of Representatives from the state met with the Chief of Staff to the President, Malam Abba Kyari at the Presidential Villa.

Ganduje, however, declined to speak to State House correspondents after the closed door meeting.

The Tinubu committee is also expected to reconcile other APC members in Kaduna, Zamfara, Oyo, Kogi and other states of the federation.