Governors on the platform of the All Progressives Congress and some national leaders of the party on Wednesday, again, failed in the bid to have block support for the aspiration of a former Head of State, Muhammadu Buhari, to emerge the presidential candidate of the party.
The governors and the national leaders, led by a former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, met in a last minute effort to save the day at the prestigious Protea Hotel in Ikeja on Wednesday evening.
The meeting, it was learnt, ended in another deadlock.
An earlier meeting, on Tuesday night, had also ended in a deadlock.
However, despite the failure to reach an agreement, the media strategists of the governors and those favourably disposed to a Buhari candidacy, inundated the media with the news that 12 of the governors had declared support for the former Head of State.
It was learnt that the Tuesday night meeting could not continue as earlier scheduledon Wednesday morning as some of the governors had grown weary.
The Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, was quoted by authoritative online newspaper, Premium Times, as having said: “I am tired of this confusion and will be better disposed to asking delegates from my state (Osun) to go ahead and vote according to their preferences.”
There are four other aspirants for the presidential primaries.
These are former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State and the Publisher of Leadership newspapers, Sam Nda-Isaiah.
While the media strategist of those believed to be favourably disposed to a Buhari candidacy have also gone to town spreading the news that Kwankwaso, Okorocha and Nda-Isaiah have stepped down for Buhari, their camps have denied such.
In the bid to galvanise support for his aspiration, the Abubakar camp revealed on Wednesday that their principal has decided to solicit for direct votes from the delegates and leave the governors to their schemings.
Sources said the major issue at stake that has resulted in the confusion has to do with who will emerge the running mate of Buhari if he emerges the presidential candidate.
The Rivers State Governor, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, is allegedly behind the schemings to get the block votes of the governors for Buhari.
In the bid to ensure he gets the vice president’s slot, Amaechi is reported to be trying to impress Buhari ahead of the primaries.
However, most of the governors are said to be favourably disposed to the vice president’s slot going to a former Governor of Ekiti State and Chairman of the National Convention Planning Committee, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.