…I have not endorsed any candidate – Buhari
…Northern Governors insist of Southern president
By Ezeocha Nzeh
More controversy has trailed the presiodential primaries of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), as the 11 Northern Governors have moved to oppose the reported announcement of Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, by the party’s national chairman, senator Abdulahi Adamu as the consensus candidate, few hours to the exercise
Adamu, had earlier overturned the decision of the APC presidential screening committee, which announced the disqualification of 10 aspirants, leaving 13 out of the 23 that returned their nomination forms to contest the primaries, when he insisted that no aspirant was disqualified
With the readiness of the party to stage what Adamu had earlier described as a free and fair presidential primaries, as the contending aspirants have stepped up their lobbying and consultation of delegates ahead of the expected keen contest, senator Adamu’s announcement of Lawan as the consensus candidate may have brought in confusion, intrigues and suspense within the rank of the APC stakeholders, as well as the aspirants
This is even as the Northern Governors on the platform of the APC have maintained their resolve to back powrt shiuft, which would allow the party support a presidential camdidate from the Southern [part of the country
Adamu, who was said to have announced Ahmed Lawan as a consensus candidate at the meeting of the National Working Committee, NWC, on Monday, in Abuja, said the endorsement of the senate president was after consultations with President Muhammadu Buhari.
The report was however rejected by some members of the NWC, who wasted no time to kicked against the move and insisted that other Presidential aspirants must be allowed to contest the primary election which is slated to take place Today (Tuesday) at the Eagle Square, Abuja.
The APC national chairman’s adoption of Lawan as a consensus candidate may have also met the bricks wall as it ran against the position of 11 APC Northern governors, who have earlier endorsed that power must shift to the South after President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has insisted that he has no anointed candidate in the presidential primary elections of the All Progressives Congress, APC, slated for June 7, 2022.
The President also announced his allignment with the position of the APC northern governors that power should be shifted to the southern part of the country in 2023.
President Buhari, who summoned another meeting of the Northern APC Governors at the villa 3encouraged them to work towards the actualization of a Southern candidate at the convention, a position which was opposed by Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
It was also gathered that the President distanced himself from the alleged endorsement of Lawan by the APC’s National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu.
Briefing State House correspondents after a closed-door meeting with President Buhari at the presidential Villa, Abuja, Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong emphasized that the President made it clear that he has no anointed candidate in the presidential primary.
He said, “Out of that discussions, Mr. President, as a believer in democratic process, believe that any candidate must emerge through a transparent process.
“Mr. President told us that for this election, for now, he has no anointed candidate and therefore directed that the Progressive Governors Forum meet with the National Working Committee of the party to agree and proffer further solutions and recommendations for his own succession.”
Lalong disclosed further that President Buhari directed the Progressive Governors Forum, PGF, to meet with the National Working Commuttee, NWC for more consultations on the consensus arrangement in the choice of the party’s candidate for the 2023 presidential elections, adding that the President has requested the governors to have a meeting with the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to resolve the issue of consensus candidate through democratic means.
“I am sure this will may be the last of consultations. So we are directed that after this, our chairman of Progressive Governors’ Forum has also summoned a meeting for five o’clock today and after that meeting, will make again further suggestions to Mr. President.”
The President however urged the Governors to broaden their consultations to ensure that a candidate with popular appeal emerges as the consensus candidate before the commencement of the Convention on Tuesday.
