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…. As Buhari Hosts Northern Governors

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday held last-minute consultations with northern governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The meeting was held inside the President’s office at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Some of the governors who attended the meeting include Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna, Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano, Aminu Masari of Katsina, Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa, and Abubakar Bello of Niger.

Also present were Bello Matawalle of Zamfara, Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe, Babagana Zulum of Borno, Simon Lalong of Plateau, Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi, and Mai Mala Buni of Yobe.

Confusion over Announcement of Senator Lawan As APC Presidential Consensus

There was confusion at the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Secretariat on Monday as news filtered that the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, has announced Senate President, Ahmad Lawan as the consensus presidential candidate.

Lawan’s disclosure to members of his National Working Committee was on the heels of a meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and certain governors from the North who restated their weekend resolution on power shift to the South.

A member of the APC NWC who craved not to be named, however, said Senator Adamu’s pronouncement was received with mixed feelings.

“He (Adamu) said that was the decision of President Buhari. He just made a mere announcement but that wasn’t NWC’s decision.”

Recall that the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu had declared that he withdrew from the presidential race and stepped down for the President of the Senate.

Buhari Hosts Northern APC Governors

Meanwhile, some northern governors elected on the platform of the APC had on Monday insisted that they would back a southerner to emerge as the presidential candidate of the ruling party in the 2023 general elections.

Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, stated this on Monday while briefing State House correspondents in Abuja.

The governors, 13 of them, made their position known following their meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Governor Lalong, in his briefing, clarified that the leaked memo that went viral last Saturday was the true position of the northern governors and they came to officially consult with the President.

According to the governor, President Buhari has not anointed any of the 23 aspirants expected to participate in the party’s primary as the flagbearer of the APC.

Rather, he explained that the President asked the governors to have a meeting with the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to resolve the issue of a consensus candidate through democratic means.

Governor Lalong stated that the decision of the governors to return power to the South was to ensure equity, peace, and unity in the country.

Other governors who attended the meeting include Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna, Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano, Aminu Masari of Katsina, Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa, and Abubakar Bello of Niger.

Also present were Bello Matawalle of Zamfara, Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe, Babagana Zulum of Borno, Simon Lalong of Plateau, Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi, and Mai Mala Buni of Yobe.

President Buhari and the northern APC governors met on the day the ruling party said it would commence a special convention to elect its presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections.