1st March, 2013
Nine governors from four opposition political parties on Thursday endorsed the emergence of the budding All Progressive Congress (APC).
The governors expressed their total support for the APC in a communiqué read by Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State after their meeting in Maiduguri.
“The meeting reiterated our irrevocable commitment to the emergence of the APC,” Aregbesola said.
He said that the governors were satisfied with the various steps taken so far toward the emergence of the party.
“We wish to commend the central merger committee of the APC on the progress so far made in the establishment of the new party, particularly the inauguration of the three major committees on constitution, manifesto and legal/INEC compliance.”
He said that the meeting was held in Maiduguri in solidarity with the people and the state government on the recent happenings in the state.
“We decided to hold the meeting in Maiduguri in solidarity with the government and people of Borno and Yobe.
“We are pleased to witness an upsurge of tranquility and calm in Maiduguri contrary to the image of rampant violence that has been painted to the world.
“We discovered that the people are going about their businesses without hindrance.
“We wish to commend the efforts of our brother governors in the two states and the security agents for the restoration of peace and stability.”
Aregbesola announced a donation of N200 million on behalf of the forum for the victims of the crisis in the two states.
“We also sympathise with the families of those who lost their lives and wish to donate the sum of N200 million to the two states for emergency relief support,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governors of Borno, Edo, Ekiti, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ogun, Osun and the Deputy Governor of Yobe, attended the meeting.