Northern APC govs meet Buhari, insist on zoning party’s presidential ticket to South
The governors of the All Progressives Congress, APC, on Monday, in Abuja, are standing by their decision to zone the party’s presidential ticket to the south.
The governors revealed this shortly after meeting with the President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Reports after their meeting on Saturday night indicated that the Northern governors asked the governing party to zone its presidential ticket to the south.
Apart from this, they were said to have insisted on withdrawal of all aspirants from the northern part of the country.
These include their Kogi State counterpart, Governor Yahaya Bello, who said while he abide with the President’s position on consensus candidate, he disagreed with APC nothern governors withdrawing from the race.
According to a communiqué signed after the meeting, the governors said, “After a careful deliberation, we wish to state our firm conviction that after eight years in the 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 any way affected by the decisions taken by another political party.”
Speaking on behalf of the governors, Simon Lalong of Plateau State regretted that the communiqué from the meeting got leaked to the public before they officially informed the President of their resolution.
He, however, noted that the governors had to inform the President in person as part of last-minute preparations for tomorrow’s primary elections.
However, President Buhari has continued to maintain his position in favour of a consensus arrangement, there has not been a meeting of minds on consensus among the 23 presidential aspirants.
The meeting with the APC governors from the north is the fourth in the series of Buhari’s concerted move to ensure that the party presents a consensus candidate so as to reduce acrimony that may arise at the end of the convention.
The governors in attendance are the Chairman of Progressive Governors Forum and governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, chairman of Northern governors Forum and governor of Plateau State, Simeon Lalong, Abubakar Baduru (Jigawa) and Babagana Zulum (Borno).
Others are Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), Bello Matawale (Zamfara), Mallam Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna), Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Yahaya Inuwa (Gombe), Abubakar Bello (Niger), Yobe State governor, Mai Mala Buni and Abdullrahman Abdulrazak (Kwara).