APC governors, chieftains divided over Tinubu’s 2023 ambition

The presidential ambition of the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu is causing serious ripples within the rank and file of the ruling party with governors under the party’s platform and other chieftains divided over the matter.

This division is largely affecting the zoning arrangements of the National Working Committee (NWC) and the National Executive Committee, NEC offices ahead of the February 26 National convention of the party.

Although the APC governors have taken charge of the party, they are yet to agree on Tinubu and a chairmanship candidate. According to a reliable source, President Buhari is not averse to a South-easterner succeeding him and may be eyeing a minister from the zone as his successor.

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Recently President Buhari said his choice of ‘favoured successor’ would shock people, a reason he said he would keep the identity of the person secret.

The Source disclosed that the party must find a way to assuage the feelings of Tinubu and some founders of the party, who are gunning for the presidential ticket because “promises were made to them during the formation of the party.

Another top leader of the APC revealed that the party was still considering options that could make it retain the presidency in 2023.

The party leader stated; “Although from all indications, the next chairman will come from the North that will not stop interested northerners from vying for the APC presidential ticket. We have competent aspirants in the North and the South. We have not made up our minds, but we will go for the best, who will help us retain the presidency in 2023.”

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“If the chairman and the President come from the North, the worst the party can do is to give the chairman a political appointment and allow his deputy, who will be a southerner to step in. Also, we can retain the present arrangement by retaining a northern chairman and picking our presidential candidate from the south.”

It was, however, learnt that chieftains of the APC, who were pushing for a president from the South were insisting that the party could not turn around to zone Presidency to the North after the same region had produced the chairman of the party.