2023: Osinbajo, Tinubu, Fayemi, Others Fail To Agree On Consensus

South-West Presidential aspirants under the All Progressives Congress on Friday failed to agree on a consensus presidential candidate ahead of the 2023 general elections.

This is as the former chairman of the ruling party, Bisi Akande warned the aspirants not to allow the South-West miss the opportunity to emerge as the presidential candidate of the party.

The leaders of the party in the region met with presidential aspirants on Friday night at the Lagos House.

Meanwhile, it was gathered that the issue of name-calling and other personal attacks was resolved at the closed-door meeting.

The aspirants during the meeting were asked to work on who will emerge as the APC presidential candidate among themselves.

Punch noted that sources close to the meeting stated that the leaders warned the aspirants not to miss the opportunity to produce the President in 2023.

A source at the meeting said, “The issue of betrayal was put to rest as the elders affirmed that everyone who desired to run for any political office whatsoever was not encumbered in any way at all.”

Another source that spoke on the issue of consensus said none of the aspirants responded to the issue of stepping down when it was mentioned.

The source said, “How do you ask someone who has paid N100m to step down? Step down for who? All the aspirants believe that they are popular and can win.

“Funnily enough, the issue of consensus was not listed in the agenda of the meeting. It was also not part of the text messages sent to us for the meeting. The meeting was majorly concerned about the utterances that are already portraying us as being divided and that the zone is behaving as if we have no leaders.

“Yet, there are concerns that a large number of aspirants could put the zone in danger if we go into the primary like that. But nobody was asked to step down for the other.”

In attendance was the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State; Chief Olusegun Osoba, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State; Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State and many others.