The 24 governors elected on the platform of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) will today hold a crucial meeting with the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) to address some matters of national importance as well as issues bordering on the party’s forthcoming national convention.

It was gathered reliably that issues to be addressed at the party’s upcoming non-elective convention and the state of the nation, especially the 2017 budget and its implementation, will top the primes of the meeting’s agenda.

A source at the party’s secretariat told our correspondent that the forthcoming convention was a burning issue for both the party and the governors who want to be briefed on the contending issues surrounding the convention.

Noting that there were indeed contending issues about the convention, the source who preferred not to be named in print said the governors are concerned with some of the persons from their states who might not be representing their interest and may want to ease them out should the convention eventually turn out to be elective.

The source further hinted that the meeting is also aimed at addressing the concerns from various quarters about the absence of President Muhammdu Buhari and to forge a common front on the issues arising from it.

The proposed meeting of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), an umbrella body for governors elected under the platform of the APC which was to deliberate on the 2017 budget presented by the federal government, could not hold due to the absence of some governors and key persons to address the session.

The well publicised meeting, saw early comers like the deputy governor of Plateau State, Sonni Tyoden and Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello waiting for close to an hour. Visibly upset, they left at 11am.

Chairman of the forum and governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, who arrived an hour behind schedule to meet a scantily populated venue, except few members of the House of Reps led by Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila and Minister for National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma and their aides, had no choice than to postpone the meeting.

The National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, however, said the meeting was “a consultative meeting ahead of the convention”, which is unexpected of a governing party.

It was also gathered that the meeting will also avail the party leadership the opportunity to lobby some of the governors who had been indifferent towards the goings-on in the party in recent past.