Governors of the ruling party are rallying around Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who is thought to fit President Muhammadu Buhari’s description, just days after he indicated a template for his successor in the upcoming APC Presidential Primaries.
Several APC governors were seen meeting with Osinbajo and the President’s Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, in the Presidential Villa, in what sources say could be a move toward a consensus presidential candidate for the party.
Governors from Kano, Ogun, Ekiti, Gombe, Nasarawa, and Ebonyi were reportedly seen in the Villa between Wednesday and Friday.
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According to reports, a clear majority of the 22 governors on the ruling party’s platform under the aegis of the Progressive Governors Forum appeared to have agreed to support Osinbajo’s candidacy ahead of Monday’s primaries.
More northern governors, including those of Borno, Kaduna, Kano, Nasarawa, and Gombe, are said to be opposed to a northern presidential candidate for the APC, according to reports.
After meeting with the president on Tuesday, the governors held a series of meetings at the Kebbi State Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja.
Initially, the meetings were deadlocked over who to support as the APC presidential flag bearer.
After reconvening, however, reports emerged that the governors had agreed that the presidency should be zoned to the south, with Osinbajo as the candidate.
” The governors of Borno, Nasarawa, and Gombe, despite being from the North, argued that the vice president from the South is the best candidate for the job.
The governors of Kaduna and Borno shared this opinion, but the Kaduna governor has not been seen in the Villa this week.
According to the reports, he was represented by his deputy at the meeting with the president on Tuesday.
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According to the reports, some governors insisted that the party’s presidency be zoned to the north because the main opposition party had chosen former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its candidate at its convention.
“It was a tense debate between the governors.”
” Some governors wanted a northern candidate to run against the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) candidate, but other northern governors objected.
They claimed that returning power to the South is morally correct.
“At the meeting, the governors represented various interests and were all promoting their candidate, but there were more governors who were loyal to President Muhammadu Buhari and wanted to repay the president’s gesture.”
“There were others who insisted, based on feedback from delegates in their states, that Mr VP was the most popular candidate, and they were almost certain and very confident that he would defeat candidates from other parties, including Atiku,” the source was quoted as saying.
According to the reports, one of the governors’ aides revealed that certain governors were asked to contact some prominent aspirants and persuade them to step down for the vice presidency.
“It was a difficult call,” the aide was quoted in the reports as saying, “as some governors were asked to reach out to their candidates to relate the governors’ choice and to also tell them to step down their ambition so that the party can present a united front at the convention.”
At Tuesday’s meeting with the governors, the president had called for reciprocity in the selection of his successor.
“In keeping with the party’s established internal policies, and as we approach the convention in a few days, I would like to solicit the reciprocity and support of the governors and other stakeholders in selecting my successor, who would fly the flag of our party for election into the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s office in 2023.”
“I want to reassure you that the consultation process will continue to ensure that all aspirants and stakeholders are included in the process all the way up to the convention.”
“This will also ensure that any anxiety caused by various factors is effectively managed and that our party emerges stronger,” Buhari said.
