Presidency 2023: Tension in APC as Atiku emerges PDP candidate, APC NWC holds emergence

There is seeming tension in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar emerged the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 presidential election at the party’s national convention on Saturday. APC National Working Committee (NWC) led by the national Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, was said to have summoned an emergency meeting on Monday to deliberate on the Atiku’s emergence in the PDP and the possible adjustments in the APC to throw up a suitable candidate to match Atiku in the 2023 presidential election.

According to party source, APC leaders are now under pressure to abandon zoning and work on getting a capable candidate to face Atiki in 2023.

The ruling APC was said to have postponed the party’s national convention from May 30 to June 6 in order to watch who emerges PDP presidential candidate at the national convention on Saturday.

During the period of the shift in the party’s convention date, APC leaders were said to divided between drafting former President Goodluck Jonathan into the party, or adopting the President of the Seante, Ahmad Lawan, or the APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, for the party’s presidential candidate in 2023.

Those arguing for Lawan want the presidential ticket zoned to the northeast in the current circumstance. Others feel Tinubu has deep pocket and bloated structure to face Atiku.

Meanwhile, the APC has the next seven days to resolve all the mix-up over the party’s presidential candidate to confront Atiku, the party source said.

President Muhammadu Buhari has remained silent on endorsing a presidential aspirant for the party as he did at the late hours of the skirmishes over the emergence of the APC national chairman towards the convention for the election of members of the NWC, then.