President free to pick ministers, says APC

Oyegun

•Fresh Bayelsa primary today
President Muhammadu Buhari is free to pick his ministers, his party said yesterday.
All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun said the party trusts the President’s judgment.

Buhari is expected to send the names of his ministers to the Senate for confirmation latest tomorrow. Speaking after a National Working Committee (NWC) meeting at the party’s secretariat in Abuja, Odigie-Oyegun said:  ”We know that the President will do what he needs to do. What happened or did not happen between us and the President is a matter for the party as a family. It is a family affair, but he will do what he needs to do, when he needs to do it. You can trust him on that.”


He also promised that the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) would soon be inaugurated. “You know that we have been pretty busy, but I want to assure you that it will soon be inaugurated.”
Odigie-Oyegun announced the decision to fix another Bayelsa State governorship primary for today in Yenagoa.

He spoke to reporters after the meeting which was briefed by Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, the chair of the panel that organised last week’s primary, which was cancelled.
With Odigie-Oyegun at the briefing were Deputy Chairman (North), Lawal Shuaibu, Deputy Chairman (South), Chief Segun Oni, National Vice Chairman (Southsouth), Primce Hillaard Etta, National Publicity Secretary Lai Mohammed and National Women Leader Hajia Ramatu Tijanni Ali
The chairman said: “The main issue that occupied us today at the NWC meeting has to do with the Bayelsa governorship primary. We want to make it very clear that as a party, the APC guides very jealously its record of free and fair primary.

“The NWC sees it as a duty to provide a level playing ground for all those who aspire to offices in this party. Unfortunately, in Bayelsa State, we had serious security challenges and so, the process could not meet the standard which this party has set for itself.

“So, we had no alternative than to stop the process by ensuring that the chairman of the panel is effectively moved out of the venue with the help of security agencies. We decided thereafter that there should be a proper fresh primary.