The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has adopted the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, as its presidential candidate.
The party’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, at the National Working Committee (NWC) meeting on Monday, in Abuja, reportedly announced Lawan from Northeast of Nigeria as the consensus presidential candidate of APC.
Adamu informed the NWC that he arrived at the choice of Lawan after consultation with President Mohammadu Buhari.
However, some members of the NWC were said to have disagreed with the announcement.
An informed source said the members insisted that other presidential aspirants, including the former Lagos State governor; Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Vice President; Yemi Osinbajo, Ekiti State governor; Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Ebonyi State governor, Dave Umahi, must be allowed to contest the primary election scheduled to hold onTuesday convention at the Eagle Square, Abuja.
The governors in attendance are 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), and the Yobe State governor, Mai Mala Buni.
Only the Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, who is one of the presidential aspirants, was not at the meeting.
Meanwhile, some APC northern governors were said to have rushed to meet Buhari at the Aso Villa to express their disagreement.
It would be recalled that eleven nothern governors of the party on Saturday conceeded power to shift to the South after the expiration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure in 2023.
But a Northern group and some Northern youths have accused the Northern governors of selling the region with their endorsement of Southern presidential candidate.
Also, the 23 presidential aspirants while meeting the screening led by John Odigie-Oyegun, had been tactically asked to agree t concensus candidate but while all of them tacitly agreed except Tinubu.