Nigerian governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have recommended a reduction of presidential aspirants to five.
The governors recommended former Lagos State governor Bola Tinubu, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, ex-Transportation Minister Rotimi Ameachi, and governors of Ekiti; Kayode Fayemi and Ebonyi; Dave Umahi.
Plateau State Governor and Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, Simon Lalong disclosed this on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, saying the APC is looking at the possibility of a consensus candidate.
“From our own recommendations, as of this morning, we recommended five people. In alphabetical order, we said Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, John Kayode Fayemi, David Umahi and Professor Yemi Osinbajo. Those are the ones we made recommendations and we said we should put them forward,” Lalong said.
“Consensus is possible. Right from yesterday up till today, we have been doing consultations like Mr President said, ‘I give you the opportunity, work on it.’
“The governors and the National Working Committee will continue on that consensus. As of yesterday, we were able to even reduce, made recommendations of about five persons, from 23 to recommendations of about 13 aspirants without disqualifying anybody.
“Within that 13 aspirants that were graded by the Screening Committee, we now looked at it and then recommended, that was jointly done by the Progressive governors and members of the National Working Committee, reducing it to five.”
The governors’ list of approved aspirants comes a day after APC chairman Abdullahi Adamu reportedly announced Senate president Ahmad Lawan as the party’s consensus candidate.
President Muhammadu Buhari met with governors from the north who said he has approved their stance to pick a southern presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections.
