But for self-restraint, journalists covering activities at the National Secretariat of All Progressives Congress, APC, would have had a showdown with Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State, who seemed ready to go physical with them.
This development followed enquiries on the outcome of a closed-door meeting between some APC governors and National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.
The governors present included Adams Oshiomhole (Edo), Tanko Al-Makura (Nasarawa), Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Abubakar Bello (Niger), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo) and Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi)
They had stormed the party secretariat immediately after their meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari to confer with Oyegun and other members of the party’s National Working Committee. Sources said the meeting was not unconnected to the issue of unpaid salaries and the crisis rocking the party, following the recent elections of new leaders of the National Assembly.
However, reacting to questions of what transpired at the meeting with Oyegun, Ajimobi, who apparently was not comfortable with the question, asked journalists their names and their media.
He was later to shout at the top of his voice: “I don’t know any of these media houses. So, I can’t talk.”
Some of the media represented at the party secretariat included Thisday, Telegraph, Vision FM, Leadership, Blueprint, Newsdairy, Lagos Television station, Galaxy TV, The Tide, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN, and the Niche, among others.
Speaking further in Yourba language, the governor said: “I know what they want is money. Call me one of my aides to find something for them. I don’t have time for any comment.”
The journalists, upset at what some of them described as a behaviour unbecoming of a governor, ignored him.