President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday held a private audience with six governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, in what appears to be a strategic political parley ahead of the new year.
The governors who paid the courtesy visit were:
- Ahmad Aliyu (Sokoto State)
- Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo State)
- Umar Namadi (Jigawa State)
- Nasir Idris (Kebbi State)
- Usman Ododo (Kogi State)
- Monday Okpebholo (Edo State)
Official photographs released by the Presidency showed the President in a warm handshake with each governor, flanked by senior aides, but no statement was issued on the agenda or outcome of the discussions.
The closed-door nature of the meeting has sparked speculation in political circles. Sources close to the Villa suggest the talks may have centred on:
- Party cohesion and preparations for the 2027 general elections
- Coordination of federal support for ongoing state-level projects
- Security situation in the North-West (with Sokoto, Kebbi, and Jigawa governors present)
- Revenue generation and implementation of the new minimum wage
- Post-election reconciliation in Edo and Ondo states
Notably, the meeting comes barely two months after Senator Monday Okpebholo’s inauguration as Edo governor — marking his first reported one-on-one engagement with the President since assuming office — and just weeks after Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa survived a fierce APC primary and governorship contest in Ondo.
The gathering reinforces President Tinubu’s hands-on approach to party management and state-federal relations, particularly within the APC family. No date has been announced for a broader National Economic Council (NEC) or Progressive Governors’ Forum meeting, making Monday’s session one of the most significant intra-party engagements in recent weeks.
Further details are expected in the coming days as governors brief their state cabinets or party structures.
