Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have recommended Bola Tinubu, former Lagos state governor; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Rotimi Amaechi, former Transport minister, Governors Kayode Fayem and Dave Umahi of Ekiti and Ebonyi states as possible consensus candidates for the party’s presidential ticket.
Simon Lalong, Plateau State Governor and Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum who disclosed this on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, said APC is looking at the possibility of a consensus candidate.
Lalong said: “From our own recommendations, as of this morning, we recommended five people. In alphabetical order, we said Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, John Kayode Fayemi, David Umahi and Professor Yemi Osinbajo. Those are the ones we made recommendations and we said we should put them forward,” he stated.
“Consensus is possible. Right from yesterday up till today, we have been doing consultations like Mr President said, ‘I give you the opportunity, work on it.’
“The governors and the National Working Committee will continue on that consensus. As of yesterday, we were able to even reduce, made recommendations of about five persons, from 23 to recommendations of about 13 aspirants without disqualifying anybody.”
“Within that 13 aspirants that were graded by the Screening Committee, we now looked at it and then recommended, that was jointly done by the Progressive governors and members of the National Working Committee, reducing it to five.”
He spoke in relation to the resolution of northern APC governors and leaders that power should shift to the south.
This is against the yesterday’s disclosure by Abdullahi Adamu, APC national chairman that Senate President Ahmad Lawan is the consensus candidate of the party for the 2023 Presidency.
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Adamu’s claims were roundly rejected by President Muhamadu Buhari and members of the APC National Working Committee.
Buhari at a meeting with northern APC governors denied “having an anointed candidate”.
A statement by Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, revealed that President Muhammadu Buhari, has cleared all doubts about where he stands on the choice of a presidential candidate for the governing All Progressives Congress (APC).
The President declared before the party’s 13 APC’s governors of northern states, that he has “no preferred candidate,” and has “anointed no one,” and is determined to ensure that “there shall be no imposition of any candidate on the party.”
Similarly, NWC also distanced itself from the purported adoption of Lawan as the party’s presidential candidate.
Sulaiman Argungu, APC national organising secretary who journalists 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.
Argungu 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.
“Is an information and all of us are entitled to our opinion, we are all democrats and we are can exercise whatever. This decision was never taken by the NWC, but an information given to the NWC. It has never been deliberated.”
BusinessDay gathered that APC stakeholders are still exploring the possibility of getting a consensus candidate out of the five recommended aspirants.
The John Odigie-Oyegun-led screening of the party has screened 23 aspirants for the APC presidential ticket.
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