Imo State governor Hope Uzodimma, has emerged the new chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), an umbrella body of governors elected on the platform of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC).
This is just as the governors met with the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
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Although details of the meeting which were held behind closed doors were sketchy, LEADERSHIP gathered that it was part of ongoing consultations on the party’s zoning arrangement for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.
Speaking after the meeting with the APC NWC, Governor Uzodimma parries the issue of the National Assembly leadership, noting however that the party will continue to talk and convince stakeholders.
He said, “The president has not made a proclamation for the National Assembly leadership to be inaugurated. And of course, you know, APC is the majority party.
“At the right time, the party will continue to convince and talk to stakeholders. And collectively the issues will be resolved.”
Uzodimma assured that the PGF will cooperate with the party’s leadership in implementing its policies and programmes.
He said, “I want to assure you that the APC governors understand very clearly that the government each of us are presiding over belongs to the party and we know both at the federal and sub-national level. The government belongs to APC; it is an APC-led government.
“Under my watch, we will be very close to the party. The purpose of the forum is to have impetus to the activities of the party and the government. We are only going to act as salesmen that will market the policies and programmes of the government.
“Arising from the manifesto promised to the people before the election, I can assure that we have a team and we are working together with the kind of men I have seen as Progressives Governors members. I think we have gotten all it would take to ensure that policies of our government were fully marketed.
“APC is the only party we’ve got in Nigeria. The governors of APC seem to be the most active governors in Nigeria. So, my assurance is that we are just constructive partners to work with the party and our loyalty to the party is absolute and indeed, the party will become the envy of other parties in Africa.
“Whatever that we did not get before, I’m sure under my leadership, the party will get it. It is going to be a synergy; we can’t do much without you and conversely. I don’t think you can do much without us. So we are married in this business and there is no going back,” he said.
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