APC Convention: “I Don’t Have Anointed Candidate” — Buhari

President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari said on Monday 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 agreed with the APC northern governor’s position that power should be shifted to the southern part of the country by 2023.

This is as the APC Northern governors have disowned the Governor of Kogi State, 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 house in Abuja, Northern Governors Forum Chiarman and Plateau State governor, Simon Lalong said that the President made it clear that he does not have a favored contender for the presidency.

According to him;

“Out of that discussions, Mr. President, as a supporter of the democratic process, believe that any candidate must emerge through a transparent process.

“Mr. President notified us that he currently does not have a special candidate for this election, and for this reason,  he directed that the Progressive Governors Forum meet with the party’s National Working Committee to discuss and come to additional agreements and suggestions for his own succession.

He said that President Buhari has instructed the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) to meet with the National Working Committee (NWC) for more discussions over the party’s nominee for the 2023 presidential elections, which will be decided by consensus.

Governor Lalong also said that the president had asked the governor to meet with the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) to resolve the issue of consensus candidates through democratic means.

The meeting with the NWC has been scheduled to 5pm Monday.

“I think this may be the final consultation. We are therefore instructed that following this, our chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum has also called a meeting for today at 5 o’clock, and following that meeting, he will again make additional recommendations to Mr. President.