Bola Tinubu, the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), announced in January his interest to vie for the presidency in 2023. As the Jagaban prepares for this colossal battle of his political life, indications have emerged that one of his game plans may backfire

According to a report, the former Lagos State governor had assured Senator Sani Musa, Chairman of Senate Services Committee, that the contribution he (Sani) made to the success of the APC in 2014/2015 will not go in vain. The report also gathered that Tinubu asserted that Sani, a major contender for the national chairmanship position of the party, was a qualified aspirant and that he had the support of the entire southwest.

A source said Tinubu’s move was to preserve his interest ahead of the APC’s presidential primary election because he felt that Senator Sani would not be amenable to his interest.

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However, the race for the national chairmanship position of the APC has taken an interesting twist that suggests that Tinubu’s game plan may be counterproductive.

According to National Daily report, the governors elected under the platform of the APC recently agreed in a meeting with Buhari to zone the national chairmanship position to the north ahead of the forthcoming March 26 national convention.

The report also said that governors and ex-governors who spoke to the press after the meeting confirmed that, President Buhari endorsed Senator Abdullahi Adamu as APC national chairman, and tasked the party’s national caretaker committee to market the choice of Adamu as consensus candidate to other chieftains of the party.

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With Buhari’s backing, one can argue that Senator Abdullahi Adamu is the favourite to clinch the APC national chairmanship position. In Nigerian politics, a party chair often has an influence on candidate selection. If Senator Abdullahi wins the Chairmanship, he may not be amenable to Tinubu’s interest and the reason narrows down to Tinubu’s endorsement and support for his biggest rival, Senator Sani Musa. In essence, Tinubu’s chances of clinching APC’s presidential ticket may be negatively affected if Senator Abdullahi becomes National Chairman