…as APC presidential primary begins today
…. Aspirants unleash strategies to clinch party’s presidential ticket
Following the failure of President Muhammadu Buhari and the top echelon of the ruling All Progressives Congress to come up with a consensus presidential candidate to fly the party’s flag in the 2023 presidential election, all the 23 aspirants of the party will today go on the field to slug it for the much-coveted presidential ticket.
While some of the presidential aspirants have indicated willingness to toe the consensus line, the others, confident of victory in a free and fair contest, have remained adamant.
They are set to test their political strength, popularity and acceptability among party delegates and stalwarts.
Already, the dynamics of the race for the APC presidential ticket have continued to be altered by some dramatic events in the ruling party since Saturday night.
Eleven Northern governors surprisingly decided to back powershift to the South, urging President Muhammadu Buhari to pick his successor from the region.
Following this development, Jigawa State Governor, Mohammed Badaru, withdrew his aspiration for the APC presidential ticket. It is, however, not clear yet if the other Northern aspirants will follow suit and back off the race for the ruling party’s presidential ticket.
Senate President Ahmad Lawan; Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello and former Zamfara governor, Ahmed Yerima, have yet to make any statement regarding their participation or non-participation in today’s presidential primary of the APC.
But it is clear that others in the race, including APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; former Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi; Governor Kayode Fayemi; ex-Minister of State (Education), Emeka Nwajiuba; ex-Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu; former Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi and former Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Senator Godswill Akpabio have intensified their various strategies aimed at snatching the much-coveted APC presidential ticket at the end of the party’s presidential primary election kicking off today in Abuja.
Other APC presidential aspirants adamant on contesting in today’s primary are former Imo State governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha; Pastor Tunde Bakare; Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade; ex-Senate President, Ken Nnamani; former House of Representatives Speaker, Dimeji Bankole; Ikeobasi Mokelu, Felix Nicholas, Senator Robert Borrofice, Tein Jack-Rich and Uju Ohanenye.
Of this crowd of presidential aspirants on the APC platform, Tinubu, Osinbajo, Lawan and Amaechi have proved themselves to be the front runners.
So, the camp of each of these leading presidential aspirants, it was learnt, is deploying all their strength, strategies and political sagacity to emerge victorious at the end of today’s political hostilities at the Eagle Square in Abuja.
Each of them has, therefore, unleashed his political machinery, making deft and calculative moves to ensure victory at the party primary.
Horse-trading has also been intensified by the camps of each of the APC presidential aspirants.
But at the end of today’s exercise, only one of them will emerge the APC presidential flagbearear.
For now, who gets the much-coveted APC presidential ticket remains a conjecture.