Thirteen governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the north on Monday maintained their earlier position that the presidential ticket of the party must go to the south.
The governors stated this shortly after their meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, amidst reports that APC National Chairman, Mohammed Adamu had announced Ahmed Lawan as the party’s consensus candidate.
Simon Lalong, Plateau state governor and chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, who spoke on behalf of the governors, said President Buhari has no anointed presidential candidate.
According to him, the president directed the governors to meet with the national working committee (NWC) of the party to resolve the issue of a consensus candidate.
He said the northern governors informed the president of their decision to ensure that power returns to the south for the sake of equity and unity of the country.
The Plateau governor said the meeting with the NWC has been slated for 5pm on Monday.
The governors had earlier asked Buhari to look toward the southern presidential hopefuls when considering his pick for the flagbearer of the ruling party in the 2023 elections.
They also asked the northern presidential hopefuls in the APC to withdraw from the race in national interest.
Meanwhile, the Nation Newspaper reported earlier on Monday that Abdullahi Adamu, national chairman of the APC, has announced Senate President Ahmad Lawan as the consensus presidential candidate for the party.
A report that could not be independently confirmed.
Leave a Reply