- As Buhari Favours Consensus Arrangement
- We’ve Been Mandated To Give President A Name After His Return From Spain Trip – Nasarawa Gov
The search for a consensus presidential candidate by the 23 Governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) might have met a dead end as reports indicate that the Governors have not been able to agree on the choice of an aspirant among the lot that bought the party’s nomination and expression of interest forms.
While Northern Governors are reportedly rooting for a consensus candidate from their region, the Southern Governors insist the consensus has to come from the South if the party aims to retain power in 2023.
Ahead of the APC presidential primary slated for 6-7 June, President Muhammadu Buhari had on Tuesday met with the governors elected on the platform of APC at the Aso Villa.
During the meeting, the President had explained qualities the party’s flagbearer in the 2023 presidential election must possess.
With the APC’s special convention fast approaching, many had argued that there’s a need for all stakeholders and members of the party to stick around one of the 23 aspirants seeking to succeed Buhari in 2023.
Following the President’s request to the Governors, it was gathered that the progressives governors, late Tuesday went into a closed-door meeting to discuss and begin the search for the successor of Buhari.
While details of the meeting still remains sketchy, a source said the governors were unable to agree on how to implement the President’s request.
“We believe that the President has not settled for any one person in particular and that is why some governors felt that the best they could do was nominate two aspirants (one from the North and one from the South) for the President’s consideration,” the source was quoted to have said.
The source added that during the meeting the Northern governors opted for a candidate from their region on the grounds that no Southern aspirant could defeat Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s presidential candidate in next year’s election.
However, the Southern governors rejected the notion, mataining the country’s next president must emerge from the South.
According to a report by The Punch, Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, said he believed consensus was the best option for the party.
Akeredolu who also doubles as the Chairman of the Southern Governors Forum, said should the party pick a southerner, it should be from the South-West. Despite noting that the party is in a delicate situation due to large number of contesting presidential aspirants, Akeredolu remained firm that the party should choose a Southerner as its consensus candidate.
“Speaking for myself, I know that in politics there is nothing wrong in seeing our party out of the conundrum we have found ourselves and if getting out is through a consensus, so be it,” he was quoted to have said.
Meanwhile, the six-member presidential committee screened Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Ahmad Lawan; Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River, his Kogi State counterpart, Yahaya Bello, and former Governor Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday.
Others screened were a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole; oil magnate, Tein Jack Rich; Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti; and a former Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Ogbonnaya Onu.
The President, just before he jetted out for Spain, met with the APC governors to appeal to the governors to ensure that all interests ‘converge’ as regards the outcome of the presidential primary. The President added that the person who emerges as the presidential candidate must be one who could give Nigerians a sense of victory even before the polls.
“As we approach the convention, I appeal to all of you to allow our interests to converge, our focus to remain on the changing dynamics of our environment, the expectations of our citizens and the global community.
“Our objective must be the victory of our party and our choice of a candidate must be someone who would give the Nigerian masses a sense of victory and confidence even before the elections,” the President said.
Speaking during an interview with Channels TV, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa state said the President did not disclose his preferred aspirant but reeled out qualities the APC presidential candidate must have.
Sule disclosed Buhari tasked them to go and look for a right candidate who suits the qualities he outlined. He added that the governors were mandated to give the President a name after he returns to the country from Spain.
“The President mentioned that our consensus candidate or our candidate to be selected must be somebody (who is) acceptable to Nigerians; somebody who understands what the APC is all about and what the APC is after. And he mentioned clearly that it is somebody that will go to every part of the country and be accepted. We must bring somebody that can win an election and be able to sustain all the good things that the APC has done. So, that is exactly the definition of the President. But if you are looking for a name, the President didn’t mention a name and neither did anybody mention a name.
“So, he gave us that in a plug and allowed us to think of the right person in these few days while he is in Spain. So, when he comes back, then everybody can say, ‘Okay, we have thought about it and we believe in who is going to be president,” Sule said during the interview.
Among those that are jostling for the party’s presidential ticket are; the Vice-President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo; the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi.
Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; a former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio; former Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu; a former Imo State governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha and former Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.
Others are Pastor Tunde Bakare, the Cross River State Governor, Prof Ben Ayade; his Ekiti State counterpart, Dr Kayode Fayemi, an ex-Minister of State, Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, former President of the Senate, Senator Ken Nnamani; Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello; Jigawa State governor, Mohammed Badaru and former Zamfara State governor, Senator Ahmed Yerima, Senator Ajayi Borroffice; the only female aspirant, B. Uju Kennedy Ohanenye, Pastor Nicholas Felix Nwagbo; former Speaker of Representative, Dimeji Bankole; President of the Senate, Dr Ahmed Lawal; former Minister of Information, Chief Ikeobasi Mokelu and Mr Tein Jack Rich.
