Security operatives didn’t ban us from meeting -G7 govs

AGGRIEVED Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors under the aegis of G7 Governors have said securitymen did not abort their meeting which held in Abuja.
They said they only exercised their legitimate right to meet on their grievances, stating  “No security operative can ban us from holding meetings.”
The governors stated that they held a successful meeting at the Kano State Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro and not at the Sokoto State Governor’s Lodge as widely reported.
The G7 governors stated that it was rather the security operatives that sponsored the reports that their meeting was aborted midway and harassed out of the venue, contrary to what really happened.
The Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko who spoke on behalf of the governors said they had a peaceful meeting at the Kano State governor’s lodge while every expected guest was in attendance.
Wamakko said as state governors and staunch members of the PDP, their right to hold peaceful meetings and freely associate had been guaranteed by the Nigerian constitution and that no security operatives could stop any of their meetings.
He also confirmed that the former governor of Kebbi State, Adamu Ailero who had never attended the meeting came to express solidarity, while many other stakeholders of the PDP were also present.
The Sokoto state governor who spoke with Nigerian Tribune insisted that the G7 governors had been resolute in their decision not to yield the epic center of activities within the PDP to a few party men whom he said have hijacked the party’s machinery.
He said it amounted to a great deception for security operatives to conclude that they could harass elected governors, who he said enjoy constitutional freewill to hold meetings and belong to different associations.
He said, “What was reported in the media was totally at variance with the reality. We held our meeting at the Kano State governor’s lodge and no security operative came to harass us as was reported.
“The meeting held peacefully and everybody we expected came. We were shocked to read the following day that security operatives halted the meeting at the Sokoto State governor’s lodge, whereas we held our meeting at the Kano State governors lodge”.
He added that it was after the meeting at the Kano State governor’s lodge and on his return to the Sokoto State governors lodge that he saw security operatives attempting to disperse a crowd who he said had already gathered and not that they were dispersing the governors”
According to him, “The only place we felt we cannot hold our meeting is the Presidential Villa because that is an open ground. If we like we can take our meeting to Enugu or rather we can decide to hold our meeting at the Bayelsa State governors lodge and no security operative can stop us”

- Tribune

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