Members of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) yesterday resolved to make their political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), bigger even as they expressed happiness with recent developments at the National Assembly.

The governors spoke through the PGF chairman and Imo State governor Rochas Okorocha, after a late night meeting at the Imo Governor's Lodge in Abuja. The event was attended by the APC national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.

He said, "We deliberated on a lot of issues. One is that we have resolved to strengthen our party and prepare for the forthcoming governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states.

"We are also very happy about the developments in the National Assembly as peace is gradually returning to the National Assembly.

"We are very happy that what has taken place in the House of Representatives will soon take place in the Senate and we resolved to make our party bigger and bigger than what it is now. So, we welcome interested parties to join us in building the Nigeria of our dream."

About 12 governors were in attendance with four deputy governors, who stood in for their principals at the meeting. The governors include the chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum and Zamfara State governor Abdullaziz Yari; Rauf Aregbesola (Osun); Nasir El-Rufa'i (Kaduna); Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano); Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara); Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto); Adams Oshiomhole (Edo); Kashim Shettima (Borno); Abubakar Sani Bello (Niger); Atiku Abubakar (Kebbi); and Simon Lalong (Plateau).

The deputy governors in attendance were Mrs Idiat Adebule (Lagos); Nuhu Gidado (Bauchi); that of Nasarawa and Oyo States. On the controversy surrounding the occupation of the seat of deputy Senate President by Senator Ike Ekweremadu in the Red Chamber dominated by APC senators, Okorocha said: "In the process of this process, things will take its natural cause. The issue of the south east, everything will be resolved in the course of the peace process."

The meeting, which begun at about 7pm lasted till 11.51pm when the governors emerged to brief journalists, who had laid siege at the Asokoro lodge venue.