By As the special convention/presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) finally kicks off on Monday after series of rescheduling, it appears the coast is now clear for just ten presidential hopefuls to jostle for the ruling party’s ticket to contest for the nation’s top seat in 2023.
It would be recalled that the Presidential Screening Committee led by a former APC National Chairman, John Oyegun had announced that it disqualified 10 aspirants on different grounds, and cleared the remaining 13 to partake in the presidential primary.
Those who made the cleared list include a former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo; Senate President, Ahmad Lawan; former transport minister, Rotimi Amaechi; Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi; his Kogi State counterpart, Yahaya Bello.
Others are former minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio; former minister of state of education, Emeka Nwajiuba; former minister of science techology and innovation, Ogbonnaya Onu; former Ogun State governor, Ibikunle Amosun; Ebonyi State governor, David Umahi and his Jigawa counterpart, Mohammed Abubakar-Badaru, and oil magnate, Tein Jack-Rich.
However, in a rather interesting development, APC governors from the North met on Saturday and made a case for the southern region to produce the APC presidential candidate, asking all Northerners in the race to withdraw their ambition for the sake of national interest.
“We therefore wish to strongly recommend to President Muhammadu Buhari that the search for a successor as the APC’s presidential candidate be limited to our compatriots from the southern states,” their joint statement read in part.
“We appeal to all aspirants from the northern states to withdraw in the national interest and allow only the aspirants from the south to proceed to the primaries.”
Following the directive, Jigawa State governor, Abubakar Badaru has since withdrawn from the race “to contribute to this patriotic quest”. Senate President, Ahmad Lawan and Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello who are from the North East and North Central, respectively are expected to follow suit.
This development means that only ten Southern presidential hopefuls are left in the race for the APC ticket. They include Tinubu, Osinbajo, Amaechi, Fayemi, Nwajiuba, Onu, Amosun, Akpabio, Umahi, and Jack-Rich.
President Muhammadu Buhari who had asked APC governors to help him choose his successor also held a meeting with presidential aspirants on Saturday.
At the meeting, Buhari was said to have backed the call for the southern region to produce the presidential flagbearer of the APC.
