11 Northern APC Governors Backs Southern Presidential Aspirant As Jigawa’s Badaru Withdraws from Race

Hopes for the emergence of a southerner as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have been rekindled as 11 northern governors elected on the platform of the ruling party and other political leaders from the region, on Saturday resolved that the presidential ticket of the party should be zoned to the South.

President Muhammadu Buhari who met over dinner Saturday night with all the 23 presidential aspirants of the party at the State House, Abuja, was said to have supported the decision of the APC northern governors to back a southern presidential aspirant.

He urged the presidential aspirants to hold consultations, build consensus and come up with formidable candidate before the party holds its primary election.

According to the governors, their conclusion is that the presidency should go to the south. “After careful deliberation, we wish to state our firm conviction that after eight years in office of President Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the APC for the 2023 elections should be one of our teeming members from the southern states of Nigeria. It is a question of honour for the APC, an obligation that is not in anyway affected by the decisions taken by another political party. We affirm that upholding this principle is in the interest of building a stronger, more united and more progressive country”.

In furtherance to their position, the eleven northern governors are recommending that the search for a successor as the APC’s presidential candidate be limited to the southern states. “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”.

In line with the decision of the governors and other leaders, the Jigawa State Governor, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar Badaru, has withdrawn from the presidential race.

In a statement issued Saturday after a meeting of the northern APC governors and political leaders from the northern states, the leaders noted that they welcomed President Buhari’s invitation to them and other stakeholders to contribute to the emergence of a strong presidential candidate for the party.

The statement was signed by Governors Aminu Masari (Katsina); Abubakar Sani Bello (Niger); Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa); Babagana Zulum (Borno); Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna); Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe); Bello Matawalle (Zamfara); Simon Lalong (Plateau); Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano); Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi) and former Governor of Sokoto State, Senator Aliyu Wamakko.

Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the ruling party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu has hinted that the party may punish a frontline presidential aspirant and National Leader of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu, for his recent outburst against President Buhari.

The APC presidential primary is scheduled to hold on Monday 6th of June to Tuesday 7th of June 2022.

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