16th January, 2023
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has not postponed its planned presidential rally scheduled to hold in Ilorin on Jan. 17.
Secretary of the Campaign Council, James Abiodun Faleke debunked news that the rally has been postponed, because of President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Mauritania.
In a terse statement, Faleke said: I hereby confirm that the APC Presidential Campaign rally slated for 17/1/23 will hold as scheduled. Please be advised accordingly.
P.M.News learnt that Vice-president Yemi Osinbajo is expected to stand in for Buhari at the rally.
Osinbajo’s appearance in Kwara will be the first time he will attend Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s event since the campaign broke in November.
Osinbajo ran against Tinubu in the APC primary in June. But he failed to pick the ticket, taking the third place, after former transport minister, Rotimi Amaechi, who came second.
Since then, there had been all manners of speculations about a frosty relationship, between Tinubu and Osinbajo.
But Osinbajo appeared to quell the rumours when he visited Tinubu at his new home in Asokoro, Abuja, some days before Christmas last year.
“President Buhari asked Osinbajo to represent him as he would not be available”, said a PMNEWS source at the Aso Villa on Monday night.
Uncertainty about the rally in Ilorin was fuelled by a statement signed by Mr Saadu Salahu on behalf of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the APC Presidential Campaign Rally in Ilorin on Monday.
The party said it postponed the rally to allow President Muhammadu Buhari lead the campaign, saying that the president had travelled to Mauritania.
The party added that Buhari insisted that he would personally lead the party’s rally in Kwara State.
“This is in order to allow President Muhammadu Buhari to lead the campaign.
The statement reads in party: “The President is scheduled for an international engagement outside the country this week beginning from tomorrow but insists he would like to personally lead the APC Presidential Rally in Kwara State.
“We deeply regret any inconveniences the postponement might have caused our guests and all APC stakeholders,” the statement read in part.