Five out of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential aspirants have declared that they have no knowledge of any proposed list of the party’s presidential aspirants being transmitted to President Muhammadu Buhari for consideration and approval.
The declaration is contained in a statement jointly signed by the aspirants, including Ogbonnaya Onu, Ben Ayade, Rochas Okorocha, Emeka Nwajiuba, and Jack-Rich Tien.
The five aspirants declared as far as they are concerned, no list has been submitted to Buhari, contending that the directive given by Mr. President was that the aspirants should meet and agree on common ground.
The voting proper is expected to begin later today, but ahead of the exercise, the progressive govers have going back and forth on the proposed list of aspirants at the instance of President Buhari.
Early Tuesday, the 23 aspirants were reduced to five, while as at the time of filing this report, the list has been pruned down to three, including: Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo and Rotimi Amaechi.
The aspirants’ statement which was obtained by The Eagleonline 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.
“Mr President’s directive is very simple, that all Presidential aspirants including those from the North should meet and harmonize 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 harmonized 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.
“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 names, according to the source, included that of the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti State), Rotimi Amaechi, former Minister of Transportation, and Governor Dave Umahi (Ebonyi State).
“The governors after meeting with the President said they will return to the villa after meeting with the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) 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”
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