The chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), and Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu, on Monday said the All Progressives Congress (APC) may present a presidential candidate by consensus.
“We always encourage our party to go for the best. Don’t forget that in the 2015 presidential election primary, President Buhari contested against several others and it was a beautiful contest. There is nothing wrong. Members of the party always want to see consensus if it is possible but we are a democratic party.
“In our last convention, we had consensus in some of the offices and election in some others. There is always misrepresentation of consensus as if people are being snowballed into positions they would rather not take.
“APC has done well as a party, President Buhari has led the party ably well and we believe strongly that come 2023, Nigerians will see another President of the APC extraction,” Bagudu said.
Bagudu spoke after former Lagos State governor Bola Tinubu, a presidential aspirant, met with APC governors behind closed doors at the Kebbi Lodge, Abuja hours after Vice President Yemi Osinbajo formally declared his interest to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari after 2023.
Governors at the meeting with Tinubu included Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Umaru Ganduje (Kano), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), Mohammed Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa) and Dapo Abiodun (Ogun). Others were Abudlrazaq Abdulrahman (Kwara), Hope Uzondinma (Imo), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa) and Isiaka Oyetola (Osun).
Asides from Tinubu and Osinbajo, Minister for Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, former governors Orji Uzor Kalu and Rochas Okorocha and serving governors of Kogi and Ebonyi states Yahaya Bello and Dave Umahi are also seeking the ruling party’s ticket.