The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has distanced itself from the adoption of Ahmad Lawan, President of the Senate as the consensus presidential candidate of the party by Abdullahi Adamu, the APC national chairman.
It emerged on Monday that Adamu, contrary to the resolution of Northern APC Governors and leaders that power should shift to the South, told the NWC that Lawan from north-east was the party’s consensus candidate for the 2023 presidency.
He told the NWC members that he arrived at the choice of the Senate President after consultation with President Muhamadu Buhari.
But, Sulaiman Argungu national organising secretary said the NWC stands by the position taken by northern governors that the South should be allowed to produce the next president of Nigeria.
Read also: Politicking down to the wire ahead of APC presidential primary
Briefing journalists Tuesday’s evening at the party’s national secretariat in the company of other NWC members, Argungu said Adamu’s position is contrary to the the party’s stance, which is power shift to the South.
He said: “Our national chairman, distinguished senator Abdullahi Adamu did briefed us that the Senate President, Lawan is the consensus candidate for the APC national convention and that is just for the information he gave us.
“But it is not an issue that has been discussed on the floor of the NWC. Just recently, about two days ago, the northern governors held a meeting that the leadership of this country, under the leadership of the All Progressive Congress should go to the north and equally, the southern governors also affirmed that.
“So we as members of the NWC are also with the governors on what they have said and some minutes ago the governors of the north have gone to the presidency and have just briefed the president that they are still on what they said with regards to the power shift to the south.”
Asked whether the NWC was rejecting the position of the national chairman, he said: “It’s just an information he gave us, and it’s not an issue that has to be deliberated on the floor of the NWC.
“Is an information and all of us are entitled to our opinion, we are all democrats and we can exercise whatever. This decision was never taken by the NWC, but the information was given to the NWC. It has never been deliberated.”
