Northern governors of the All Progressives Congress, on Monday, rejected the choice of Senate President Ahmed Lawan as the consensus presidential candidate of the party.
It was learnt that the APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, had announced Lawan as the party’s consensus candidate, but members of the National Working Committee reportedly kicked against it.
Northern governors, in a meeting on Monday with President Muhammadu Buhari were said to have insisted that power should shift to the Southern part of the country in 2023.
Briefing newsmen at the end of their meeting with Buhari, Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong, said the 13 of them apologised to the president for receiving the information about their position after it was leaked.
But Lalong said that the governors took the decision in the interest of justice and peace in the country.
He stated that they would hold another meeting amongst themselves today by 5pm.
He said President Buhari agreed with their stance, maintaining that the presidential candidate must emerge through a transparent process.
Lalong said that the President told them that he did not have an anointed candidate yet and directed them to meet the APC National Working Committee (NWC) to agree on the consensus candidate.