President Bola Tinubu yesterday evening hosted a meeting of the National Caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, as the ruling party intensified internal consultations ahead of key political timelines.
In attendance were six former governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The defected governors, Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, Peter Mbah of Enugu State, Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, Pastor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State and Agbu Kefas of Taraba State, participated in the caucus session since crossing over to the APC.
Also attending the meeting were former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim, and former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, all previously leading figures in the PDP before joining the APC fold.
The caucus and National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings were originally slated for December 15 and 16, but were rescheduled to Thursday and Friday, December 18 to 9, to accommodate wider participation and review emerging party priorities.
The National Caucus is composed of high-profile party figures, including the President and Vice President of Nigeria; former APC-affiliated presidents and vice presidents; sitting and former governors; National Assembly leaders; and zonal representatives.
Conventionally, the National Caucus meets ahead of the NEC-APC’s highest decision-making organ, whose statutory membership includes “the National Chairman, Deputy National Chairmen (North and South), National Secretary, Deputy National Secretary, National Legal Adviser, Deputy National Legal Adviser, National Treasurer and Deputy National Treasurer,” among other officials.
Party insiders at the venue described yesterday’s engagement as strategic and consultative, designed to reinforce cohesion, reaffirm internal discipline, and harmonise positions before the NEC convenes.
Participants were expected to deliberate on organisational priorities, state-level coordination, and the alignment of stakeholders across all geopolitical zones.
Though the agenda was broad, sources indicated that unifying senior party figures around shared goals remained central, particularly in the post-Buhari era, where symbolic gestures of continuity and stability were viewed as essential.
The presence of past officeholders was regarded as a confidence-building measure following the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari earlier in the year.
The meeting also provided a stabilising forum for senior actors to exchange perspectives, smooth internal frictions, and build consensus around political direction, especially as the party approaches the 2026 calendar, when primaries for the 2027 general elections are expected to commence.
Vice President Kashim Shettima led the top-ranking government officials at the meeting, alongside Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, Deputy Senate President
Jibrin Barau and Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu.
President Bola Tinubu arrived at the venue at 7:38 p.m.
