TheCable

Kayode Fayemi, minister of mines and steel, left a meeting which Bola Tinubu, a national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), hosted on Tuesday without talking to the media.

There were insinuations that Fayemi walked out of the meeting, but it later emerged that he went for another engagement after the break.

Tinubu and some party leaders met with the governorship aspirants of the APC in Ekiti state after the aborted primary held on Saturday.

The meeting took place at the Lagos state government house in Asokoro, Abuja.

Some of the party leaders in attendance were Bisi Akande, pioneer chairman of the party; Segun Osoba, former Ogun state governor; Niyi Adebayo, former Ekiti state governor; and Pius Akinyelure; zonal vice chairman of the APC in the south-west.

After discussing for like two hours, they agreed on a break.

The minister, who was the first to walk out of the room, ignored reporters who approached him.

Ojudu, Adaramola and some of the aspirants

He then entered his car and his driver drove off.

But Akande who spoke with journalists said the outcome of the meeting would be presented to the national working committee (NWC) of the party.

Asked if there were discussion on a consensus candidate, he said it is an option since the party’s constitution is not against it.

“Primary election is already written in our constitution but all we want is the happiness the generality of the leadership, the contestants and our party in general,” Akande said.

“We took a decision on what will be the best advantage to our party and the country. Consensus is already written in our constitution and it is an option.”

Tinubu, Akande with the aspirants during the break period

When asked if the aspirants agreed on a consensus candidate, Akande said they were asked to think about it and report back to the leaders.

Asked to comment on the cancellation of Saturday’s primary, Akande said he was not part of the process but said he would be part of avoid the repeat of the incident.

When the meeting reconvened around 7:30pm, other aspirants were there but Fayemi and Ayo Arise, a former senator, were not seen.

Tanko Al-Makura, governor of Nasarawa state, and chairman of the election committee, joined the second part of the the meeting.

Akande speaking with journalists at the end of the meeting

After the botched primary, Fayemi accused Babafemi Ojudu, a presidential aide, and Bimbo Adaramola, a former member of the house of representatives, of conspiring to thwart the exercise, which he claimed was in his favour.

Delegates from four local government areas had concluded voting when the exercise was disrupted. Fayemi said he was leading in the votes cast.

The APC leadership has fixed May 11 for a fresh primary.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated in view of new facts.