2023: APC Leaders Divided Over Choice Of Presidential Candidate

Barely 72hours to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primaries, governors on the platform of the party alongside its National Working Committee (NWC) and other stakeholders are divided over mode of nomination and who becomes the party’s presidential candidate for the 2023 election.

TrackNews learned that party leaders and power brokers were in a tight corner sequel to the tactical jettisoning of zoning within the party and the surge in the number of aspirants.

It could be recalled that the APC constitution provides that the party shall nominate its candidates through direct primary, indirect primary or consensus. But it was gathered that many stakeholders were against consensus on the ground that it might not favour their interest.

Sources at the APC camp told TrackNews that some governors and NWC members were in support of its National Leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu; and some were rooting for a former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, while others were backing Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Senate President, Ahmad Lawan.

The source added that APC governors had met at the Kebbi State Govenor’s Lodge in Abuja on Monday night but refused to brief newsmen at the end of their meeting.

Meanwhile, there are growing concerns as the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led NWC has failed to constitute a committee to screen the party’s presidential aspirants four days to the national convention slated for Sunday and Monday.

There is anxiety as many party bigwigs and aspirants are left in the dark. The screening was earlier slated for last Monday, but the APC National Publicity Secretary, Barr Felix Morka, in a statement on Sunday, announced the postponement of the exercise indefinitely.

However, the party’s National Chairman said the top echelon of APC would scrutinize all the presidential aspirants on the party’s platform and pick the right candidate for the 2023 poll.

Adamu while speaking with newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja said zoning was never an issue, adding that the party would first screen its aspirants before it would know the way forward.

He said there were many aspirants in the race for the party’s apex ticket, adding that God would guide the party’s decision-makers to do the right thing. He, however, did not state when the screening would be done.