APC NWC aligns with Northern governors on power shift, denies Lawan’s endorsement as consensus candidate

The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee (NWC) has dismissed reports on the endorsement of the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, its consensus candidate for the 2023 presidential election.

The APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, had earlier announced the Yobe State-born Lawan as the party’s consensus candidate ahead of Tuesday’s presidential primary in Abuja.

The APC National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Argungun, who addressed journalists after the NWC meeting in Abuja, acknowledged that Adamu briefed the committee on the issue.

He, however, said the matter was not deliberated at the meeting.

Argungun said: “You can see that we are all just coming out of the NWC meeting and we were fully briefed by our national chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu.

“And he did brief us that Senator Ahmad Lawan, President of the Senate is our consensus candidate for the APC national convention.

READ ALSO: Senator Lawan reportedly emerges APC consensus presidential candidate

“That is the information he gave us, but it is not an issue that was deliberated on the floors of the NWC.

“It was just the information he gave us and all of us are entitled to our opinions as democrats.

The APC official insisted that the decision was not from the party’s NWC but an individual decision that was never deliberated by the committee.

Arugugun said the APC NWC was in agreement with the resolution of the Northern governors on the zoning of the presidency to the south.

11 Northern governors had on Saturday night directed presidential aspirants from the region to step down from the race and allow their southern counterparts to proceed to the primary.

They also commended their Jigawa counterpart, Abubakar Badaru, for withdrawing from the race ahead of the presidential primary.

The governors who signed the communique at the end of the meeting were Aminu Masari (Katsina), Sani Bello (Niger), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa) and Babagana Zulum (Borno).

Others were Simon Lalong (Plateau), Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Bello Matawalle (Zamfara) and former Sokoto State governor, Aliyu Wamakko.

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