Connect with us

Politics

APC CONVENTION: Ayade, Okorocha, Onu, 4 others protest, reject northern govs’ 5-man list

Published

on

Seven presidential aspirants at the ongoing national convention of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have protested against the list of five names recommended by the APC northern governors and the party’s National Working Committee.

The protesting aspirants rejected the list of five aspirants from among who the APC northern governors said the party’s candidate should come from.

The protesting aspirants are Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade; former Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba; former Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu; former Governor Rochas Okorocha and businessman Tein Jack-Rich.
The group in a jointly signed statement on Tuesday in Abuja said they were not consulted before the northern governors arrived at such a decision, and consequently rejected the list, and maintained that they were still in the race for the party’s presidential ticket.

The names earlier submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari by the APC northern governors were former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu; a former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi; Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi and Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo.

The statement reads, “In the past few hours we have been bombarded with calls and messages from our supporters and concerned Nigerians on a list of five Presidential aspirants submitted to President Buhari to choose from.

“As long as we are concerned no list has been submitted to Mr. President, the move by the governors is considered a joke taken to the extreme with the aim of playing with the intellect of Nigerians particularly us from the South-East.”

The group further noted that the President’s directive was for all stakeholders to harmonize amongst one another which was not effected.

“Mr President’s directive is very simple, that all Presidential aspirants including those from the North should meet and harmonise in order to produce a single candidate. As it stands we have not been consulted or attended a meeting where it was agreed that such names be sent to Mr President.

“In the so-called list out of the five names only one was selected from the South-East and we are talking about fairness and justice to the South. What the Governors have done is a mere picnic in the park. These are the same Governors talking about Equity, justice and fairness yet in a clandestine manner purportedly sidelined the South East.

“In the absence of any harmonised agreement no list has been submitted to Mr. President, what they have done is just nothing but a charade which is bound to fail.

“We also have it on good authority that the majority of these Governors have been promised and also given various forms of gratifications in order to thwart the process in favour of one aspirant and such grand plot will fail woefully,” the statement read.

Read also :APC lawmaker reveals reason behind pact by northern governors on zoning

The statement further criticized the handling of the process by the party’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, noting that the current process remains void.

“Moreso, the party led by Senator Abdullahi Adamu remains the official organ of the party through which decisions taken by stakeholders in the party will be communicated and acted upon, in the absence of that any other move remains null and void.

“We urge all well-meaning Nigerians to disregard such information, as we remain in the race hence no consensus agreement has been reached amongst all contestants.

“The governors after meeting with the President said they will return to the villa after meeting with the party’s National Working Committee and other stakeholders.

“They picked one from South-East, one from South-South and three from South-West geopolitical zones in line with their position that power should shift to the South.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now