Bisola David
In the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, President Muhammadu Buhari is presiding over a meeting of the Council of State.
Daily Trust reported that several former presidents and heads of state, including Gen. Yakubu Gowon (ret’d), Abdulsalami Abubakar (ret’d), and Goodluck Jonathan, are present at the meeting which officially began at 10:12 a.m. Former president Olusegun Obasanjo also joined online.
The governor of Sokoto State and chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, Aminu Tambuwal, the governor of Kebbi State and chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, Abubakar Bagudu,and the governor of Plateau State and chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum, Simon Lalong, are also among the other governors who participate virtually.
The rest are governors David Umahi, Ebonyi, Yahaya Bello, Kogi, Ademola Adeleke, Osun, Abubakar Badaru, Jigawa, Dapo Abiodun, Ogun as well as Benue State deputy governors Benson Abounu, Nasarawa, Emmanuel Akabe, and Enugu Deputy governor.
Two former Chief Justices of the Federation, Alfa Belgore and Mahmud Muhammad, are also in attendance.
Yemi Osinbajo, the vice president, Ahmed Lawan, the president of the senate, Femi Gbajabiamila, the speaker of the house of representatives, Abubakar Malami, the attorney general and minister of justice, Boss Mustapha, and Folashade Yemi-Esan are all there physically.
The following governors are present in person: Dairu Isiaku of Taraba, Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna, Babagana Zulum of Borno, Inuawa Yahaya of Gombe, Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, Abdulrahman Abdulrazak of Kwara, and Baba Talla, deputy governor of Bauchi.
The National Council of State is a body that advises the executive on policy decisions. It is part of the Nigerian government.
In advance of the general elections, the summit is anticipated to cover a range of national challenges, including the scarcity of gasoline and the naira, insecurity, and others.
Additionally present and waiting their turn to address the council are Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Alkali Baba, the Inspector General of Police, Hammed Audi, the Commandant General of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, and Godwin Emefiele, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
They will all discuss the state of preparation for the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections as well as the March 11 governorship, new naira notes and state house of assembly polls.
