2023: Trouble For Tinubu, Amaechi, Others As Top APC Chieftains Push For Northern Presidency

Some top chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have started pushing for the party’s presidential ticket to be zoned to the North.

Naija News learned that the plan to choose the party’s flag bearer from the North has gone far after a series of meetings by promoters of Northern candidacy.

It was gathered that the move for a Northern candidacy has created apprehension in the camps of the major Southern presidential aspirants.

Some of the Southern hopefuls are the APC National Leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, Senator Rochas Okorocha, and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.

According to Daily Trust, the agenda is being promoted by some northern elders, governors, members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party and lawmakers.

The newspaper said the push for a Northern presidency made Senate President Ahmad Lawan; Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello; Jigawa State Governor, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar and a former Zamfara State Governor, Sen. Ahmed Yarima, join the presidential race.

An APC chieftain who does not want to be named and one of the promoters of the Northern candidacy told Daily Trust that parties exist to win elections and not to massage the ego of anybody.

He said with the feelers in the PDP that a strong contender from the North is likely to pick the party’s presidential ticket, the only option for the APC is to pick a northerner.

He, however, said they would mount pressure on Badaru and Yerima to pull out of the race.

Another source said the promoters were behind the calls for the selection of the party’s candidate through consensus.

He said they would involve the president to prevail on all other aspirants to key into the arrangement in the interest of the party.

“We cannot go for direct primaries because of the number of the aspirants. Our best bet is consensus,” he said.