Eleven All Progressives Congress governors from the northern states of Nigeria have asked all aspirants from the northern region to withdraw their presidential bid, sending a clear message of support for only aspirants of southern extraction.
A statement jointly signed by the political leaders say they reached the decision after reviewing
“the political situation and to further support our Party in providing progressive leadership amidst our national challenges”.
The governors expressed appreciation for the President’s call for harmony in choosing the party’s standard bearer. “During our discussions, we welcomed President Muhammadu Buhari’s invitation to governors and other stakeholders to contribute to the emergence of a strong presidential candidate for the APC”.
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”. The statement also confirmed the withdrawal of the Governor of Jigawa state Abubakar Badaru from the APC presidential race.
It says the APC has a duty to ensure that the 2023 elections offer a nation-building moment, reaffirming that a democratic pathway to power exists for all who value cooperation and build national platforms. “This moment calls for the most sober and inclusive approach to selecting our party’s candidate, and we call on all APC leaders to fulfil their responsibility in this regard”.
The signatories to the agreement include Katsina state governor Aminu Masari, Abubakar Bello of Niger State, Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State and Prof. Babagana Zulum of Borno State.
Others are Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna, Muhammad Yahaya of Gombe State, Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State and Simon Lalong of Plateau State.
Also endorsing the agreement are Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State and his Kebbi state counterpart Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, as well as former Governor of Sokoto state, Senator Aliyu Wamakko
The APC presidential primary is scheduled to hold on Monday 6th of June to Tuesday 7th of June 2022.
