Less than 48 hours to the Presidential Primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the push for a consensus candidate seems to be given serious consideration leading to the meeting late Saturday night between President Muhammadu Buhari and the thirteen aspirants cleared by the John Odigie-Oyegun-led Screening Committee.
The President had last Tuesday met with governors on the party platform where he was reported to have solicited their support to choose a successor.
But BusinessDay gathered that the Saturday night meeting aimed to appeal to the understanding of the aspirants to choose one from among themselves or to buy into the President’s choice.
Observers say that Buhari would want to adopt the method he used in the emergence of Abdullahi Adamu as the current national chairman of the party, when he single-handedly anointed him despite some murmuring in some quarters.
Recall that the National Convention therefore, did not witness serious voting; it only featured ratification of the “anointing” by delegates.
Following the tension arising ahead of the primary slated for June 6th to 7th, pundits have predicted a crisis-ridden exercise with consequent implosion, but like the March 26 convention that was seamless despite all permutations to the contrary, the primary may follow same pattern after President Buhari’s intervention.
It was also gathered that the President, having sensed the high level of emotion being brought to bear on the quest for the ticket in some quarters, decided to weigh in, to wield the big stick and the carrot at the same time.
The meeting also came on the heels of a statement jointly signed earlier Saturday by northern APC leaders, including serving and former governors, making case for the zoning of the party’s Presidential slot to the South.
In the statement, Governor Mohammed Abubakar-Badaru, who is also an aspirant withdrew from the race.
Read also: Why APC governors are failing to agree on consensus candidate for presidency
Read also: Why APC governors are failing to agree on consensus candidate for presidency
Those who authored the statement were Aminu Bello Masari, governor of Katsina State; Abubakar Sani Bello, governor of Niger State; Abdullahi A. Sule, governor of Nasarawa State; Babagana Umara Zulum, governor of Borno State; Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, governor of Kaduna State; Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya, governor of Gombe State; Bello Matawalle, governor of Zamfara State; Simon Bako Lalong, governor of Plateau State; Senator Aliyu Wamakko, a former governor of Sokoto State; Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano State, and Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, governor of Kebbi State.
According to them, “APC governors and political leaders from the northern states of Nigeria today met to review the political situation and to further support our party in providing progressive leadership amidst our national challenges. During our discussions, we welcomed President Muhammadu Buhari’s invitation to governors and other stakeholders to contribute to the emergence of a strong presidential candidate for the APC.”
They further stated that “After careful deliberation, we wish to state our firm conviction that after eight years in office of President Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the APC for the 2023 elections should be one of our teeming members from the southern states of Nigeria. It is a question of honour for the APC, an obligation that is not in anyway affected by the decisions taken by another political party. We affirm that upholding this principle is in the interest of building a stronger, more united and more progressive country.
“We therefore wish to strongly recommend to President Muhammadu Buhari that the search for a successor as the APC’s presidential candidate be limited to our compatriots from the southern states. We appeal to all aspirants from the northern states to withdraw in the national interest and allow only the aspirants from the south to proceed to the primaries. We are delighted by the decision of our esteemed colleague, His Excellency, Governor Abubakar Badaru to contribute to this patriotic quest by withdrawing his presidential aspiration.”
They pointed out that “The APC has a duty to ensure that the 2023 elections offer a nation-building moment, reaffirming that a democratic pathway to power exists for all who value cooperation and build national platforms. This moment calls for the most sober and inclusive approach to selecting our party’s candidate, and we call on all APC leaders to fulfil their responsibility in this regard.”
It is expected that by the time the curtain is drawn on the meeting at the Presidential Villa, frayed nerves would have been calmed, and the APC would then proceed with its presidential primary rancour-free as had been assured by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State.
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