APC: Babachir, Dogara Clear Air On Why They Visited Wike

All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftains who visited Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, over the weekend have cleared the air on rumours about the agenda of their visitation.

Naija News reports that the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, and the ex-Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, held a closed-door meeting with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain at his private residence in Rumueprikom, Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State on Saturday.

The visit by the ruling party’s chieftains has, however, received a series of reactions with many suggesting that it was political.

Their visit came barely 24 hours after Wike broke his silence long after the PDP’s presidential primary where former Vice President, Atiku Abubarkar, emerged as the party’s candidate.

Speaking, however, in a telephone interview with Sunday PUNCH on Saturday, Babachir said himself, Dogara and other party stakeholders were free to visit anybody.

According to him, people making the wrong impression about the visit should understand that he worked with the governors while he served as the SGF.

Babachir said: “We are free to visit anyone in the country. Those insinuating anything should know that I was the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and I worked with all the governors.

“So, we are free to visit anyone. Everything is not political and those insinuating anything outside this are free to continue.”

Speaking earlier in Port Harcourt, the former SGF told newsmen that their trip to Rivers State was just a brotherly visit to the governor.

He said, “We came to visit our brother. He (Wike) is our brother. So, every now and then, the Bible enjoins you to visit one another. That is what we just did.”

Babachir stressed that their conversation with Wike is not connected with the meeting some northern leaders held in Abuja on Friday.

“No, there are many reasons in the world for which you need to visit a brother. So, the visit has nothing to do with our meeting in Abuja,” he explained.

On his part, Dogara said their visit was on the quest and a search to build an all-inclusive Nigeria.

He said: “Everyone agrees with us that Wike is one of those indispensable political leaders. For us, it is a search to build an all-inclusive Nigeria.

“So, we feel that as part of the agenda setting, we should meet with him, which is why we are here. For the rest, whatever it is, maybe in the future, we can discuss that,” he stated.