Presidential primary: Northern APC Govs reject Lawan as consensus candidate
By Tom Okpe and Ukpono Ukpong
Northern APC governors, on Monday, rejected the declaration of Senate President, Ahmad Lawan as the party’s consensus candidate by the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu.
Adamu had earlier on Monday at the National Working Committee’s (NWC) meeting at the party secretariat, Buhari House, Abuja, declared Lawan as the party’s consensus candidate.
The APC National Chairman’s declaration is contrary to position of President Muhammadu Buhari and the Northern Governors on power shift to the South.
A member of the NWC who pleaded anonymity, however told Daily Times that such was not adopted by the NWC so, that’s not the position of the party and its leader, President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Yes, it’s true chairman announced it but it was not discussed or adopted by the NWC. He just announced it as his personal opinion, which cannot stand,” our source stated.
“That is just the information he gave us and not an issue that was discussed on the floor of the NWC”, he added.
However, the APC Northern governors after meeting with President Buhari on Monday afternoon, insisted that they will stand behind a southern Presidential candidate with power, shifting to the south.
Plateau State Governor and Chairman, Northern Governors’ Forum, Simon Lalong, who spoke on behalf of others said the northern governors insisted on a southern presidential candidate.
According to him, the governors had informed the president about their decision to back a southern aspirant to emerge as the party’s candidate.
Also, Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai said the decision of the Northern governors was final that they would back a southern aspirant to emerge candidate of the party.
el-Rufai said the decision of Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State not to attend the meeting and backing out of the arrangement did not invalidate their move, saying that he is only one out of 14 governors supporting southern candidate.
But, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) says it will align with the position of governors on power shift to the south.
Sulaiman Argungu, national organising secretary of the APC, announced the development at a media briefing on Monday,
According to him, although Abdullahi Adamu, APC national chairman, had announced Senate President Ahmad Lawan as the party’s consensus candidate at a meeting of the committee on Monday, the NWC stands with the governors on zoning the ticket to the south, DailyTimes gathered.
Argungu said: “We were fully briefed by our national chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu. He did brief us that Senate President Ahmad Lawan is our consensus candidate and it is just the information he gave us. It is not an issue that has been discussed on the floor of the NWC.
“You are all aware that recently, the northern governors had a meeting that the leadership of this country should go to the [south] and equally, the southern governors also affirmed that. So, we as members of the NWC, we are also with the governors on what they have said. And some minutes ago, the governors from the north have gone to the presidency and have just briefed the press that they are still on what they said with regards to the power shift to the south.
“It is just an information he (Adamu) gave us and it is not an issue that had to be deliberated on the floor of the NWC. It’s an information and all of us are entitled to our opinions. We are all democrats. This decision was never taken by the NWC.”
Meanwhile, President Buhari, yesterday, cleared all doubts about where he stands on the choice of a presidential candidate for the governing All Progressives Congress (APC).
Declaring before the party’s 14 governors of northern states, Buhari said that he has “no preferred candidate,” and has “anointed no one”.
He, however, reiterated his commitment to ensure that “there shall be no imposition of any candidate on the party.”
Speaking at a meeting with the Governors at the State House, Abuja, President Buhari said the party is important and its members must be respected, and made to feel they are important.
The President said he had a clear mind about what he was doing and asked the APC governors to feel the same way: “You were elected as I was. Have a clear mind as I have. God gave us the chance; we have no reason to complain. We must be ready to take pain as we take the joy. Allow the delegates to decide. The Party must participate, nobody will appoint anybody.”
READ ALSO: Adamu is joking – Akeredolu rejects Lawan as APC…
Earlier in their addresses, the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, Governor Simon Bako Lalong and Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu of the Progressive Governors Forum, said they had come to affirm the position of the Northern Governors that the party’s candidate in the presidential election shall come from the southern part of the country.
They apologised to the President for the leakage of their signed memorandum which was not in support of any particular candidate and gave assurances to the President on their readiness to accept his leadership on the matter.
