Presidency Denies Excluding Fayose from List of Govs Meeting Buhari Today

Segun Atanda/

The presidency has denied claims that Ekiti State governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, was deliberately excluded from the list of governors meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, in London, this morning.

The president’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, faulted the claims at a press briefing, in Abuja, on Tuesday.

The briefing was also attended by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu and the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the the Vice-President, Laolu Akande.

Adesina said the selection of members of the delegation, which include Governors of Zamfara, Ebonyi, Kano, Borno, Benue, Akwa Ibom and Oyo, was done by the Governors’ Forum.

The delegation, which departed Abuja, Tuesday night. was led by Gov. Abdul’aziz Yari of Zamfara in his capacity as the chairman of the Governors’ Forum.

Adesina dismissed the insinuation that Gov. Fayose of Ekiti, a renowned critic of the president, was excluded from the trip due to pressure from the presidency.

“The selection was not done by the government. It was done by the Governors’ Forum and you can see that the delegation is headed by Gov. Yari, who is chairman of that forum. So, any question about the composition of the delegation should then go to the forum,’’ Adesina stated.

Adesina said the president, who is recuperating very fast, preferred receiving delegations rather than addressing the nation through broadcast.

President Buhari had on Sunday in London received a delegation of All Progressives Congress (APC) which comprised national leadership of the party and two of its governors—Nasir El-Rufai and Rochas Okorocha.

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