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Consensus: Buhari meets APC govs, NASS caucus, aspirants
President Muhammadu Buhari has scheduled meetings with APC governors, National Assembly caucus and presidential aspirants towards a consensus presidential candidate for the party.
Chronicle NG gathered that the move of the President was one of the reasons why the party suspended its presidential screening exercise originally scheduled to take place on Monday.
In what has become the President’s style, he has waited days until the APC presidential primaries before intervening on a consensus candidate for the party.
Some sources revealed that the President will be meeting with the APC governors before meeting with the National Assembly caucus and then the presidential aspirants.
Although the choice of President Buhari has been kept very close to his chest, a source within the Presidency says all signals points at his deputy, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo
Another source claimed that President Buhari, during his trip to the United Arab Emirates last week hinted at who his likely successor will be.
It was gathered that President Buhari, after unveiling his choice in the meetings, would push for consensus, just as it happened during the process of picking APC’s national chairman.
An APC chieftain who spoke to Chronicle NG hinted that most of the presidential aspirants are expected to accept the president’s choice except for one aspirant from the South West.
The party chieftain who crave anonymity said it is unclear if the aspirant will insist on having elections.
“Like we had in the party primaries, some positions were up for elections, we can have same in the presidential primaries but the problem is that the aspirant will lose heavily and could also lose face.
Asked about the possibility of defecting, the source said, “We are hearing rumours of a possible defection to the Social Democratic Party but I strongly doubt this will happen,” the source said.
The APC aspirants expected to be at the meeting include Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Senate President Ahmad Lawan, former Minister of Transportation, Hon Chibuike Amaechi; Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi and ex-Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu.
Other aspirants are former Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajuba; ex-Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio; former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha; former governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun and Ekiti State governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.
Pastor Tunde Bakare; Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello; business mogul, Chief Tein Jack-Rich are also presidential aspirants in APC.
