Buhari meeting with northern APC governors after dispute over consensus candidate

President Muhammadu Buhari is currently meeting with the northern All Progressives Congress (APC) governors at the State House in Abuja after a rift erupted over the choice of a so-called consensus candidate.

The agenda of the meeting is believed to be centred on the decision of the northern governors to back a power shift to the south despite the announcement of Senate President Ahmad Lawan as the APC consensus candidate by party chairman, Abdullahi Adamu at the National Working Committee meeting on Monday

The governors had on Saturday asked Buhari to look toward the southern presidential hopefuls when considering his pick for the flagbearer of the ruling party in the 2023 elections.

They had also asked the northern presidential hopefuls in the APC to withdraw from the race in national interest.

A statement issued after the meeting said Abubakar Badaru, governor of Jigawa state, had withdrawn from the race “to contribute to this patriotic quest”.

Speaking to BBC Hausa on Sunday, Badaru had said the discussion is still a proposal to be sent to the president for approval.

The governor added that he will only withdraw from the presidential race if Buhari gives his consent for power to be shifted to the south.

“I am not in a position to withdraw until I hear what Buhari says. If he says we should go ahead with a contest, we will go ahead. If he says we should withdraw and take the candidature to the south, we will do so and be in the vanguard to convince others from the north to drop their ambition because Baba says it should go to the south. However, if Baba said we should continue we will continue,” Badaru had said.