PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on Monday said that he has no anointed candidate in the presidential primary elections of the All Progressives Congress, APC, slated for June 7, 2022.
The President also said he is in agreement with the position of the APC northern governors that power should be shifted to the southern part of the country in 2023.
This is as the APC Northern governors have disowned the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello for opposing their position that power should go to south.
Briefing State House correspondents after a closed-door meeting with President Buhari at the presidential Villa, Abuja, Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum and governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong said that the President made it clear that he has no anointed candidate in the presidential primary.
According to him, “Out of that discussions, Mr. President, as a believer in democratic process, believe that any candidate must emerge through a transparent process.
“Mr. President told us that for this election, for now, he has no anointed candidate and therefore directed that the Progressive Governors Forum meet with the National Working Committee of the party to agree and proffer further solutions and recommendations for his own succession.”
He said that President Buhari directed the Progressive Governors Forum, PGF, to meet with the National Working Commuttee, NWC for more consultations on the consensus arrangement in the choice of the party’s candidate for the 2023 presidential elections.
Governor Lalong further said that the President has requested the governors to have a meeting with the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to resolve the issue of consensus candidate through democratic means.
The Plateau State Governor said the meeting with the NWC has been slated for 5pm Monday.
“I am sure this will may be the last of consultations. So we are directed that after this, our chairman of Progressive Governors’ Forum has also summoned a meeting for five o’clock today and after that meeting, will make again further suggestions to Mr. President.”
Details later…
