Inside reports have emerged that members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have rejected an offer of $50,000 bribe each proposed to them to accept Ahmad Lawan as the party’s consensus presidential candidate for the 2023 general election.
APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu had called a meeting of NWC by 1pm on Monday in Abuja.
Sources privy to the meeting said that Adamu told the NWC members that President Muhammadu Buhari has endorsed Ahmed Lawan as presidential candidate of the party.
The NWC members however rejected the decision, saying it couldn’t have been true given what the northern governors had said that power should shift to the south and the response of the southern governors in that regard.
The NWC members also reportedly said that given what President Buhari had said in respect of the positions of both northern and southern governors it could be a mere case of name dropping of the president.
The 22 APC governors from northern and southern regions of the country were said to have also opposed the move as it’s against their position on emergence of presidential candidate.
The 11 northern APC governors had on Saturday night after their meeting, issued a statement declaring their resolution that the party should zone it’s selection of presidential candidate for the 2023 election to the south.
Speaking to what transpired at the meeting, the APC National Youth Leader, Dayo Israel said, “Earlier today, during the NWC meeting, the National Chairman informed us that after the consultations hosted by the President, he is instructed to inform us that Ahmed Lawan is the preferred choice. We were only informed, it wasn’t deliberated upon. Neither was our opinion sought.
“The issue at stake is not about consensus but about Federal Character. Let’s not mix issues. What is at stake is should power be retained in the North or move to the South. The Northern Governors with the President have supported the Southern agenda, the NWC members support this. Israel said,”
