Contrary to the position of most Northern Governors on power shift to the South National Chairman of thee All Progressives Congress, Senator Abdullah Adamu has announced Senate president Ahmad Lawan as APC consensus presidential candidate.

Adamu, announced this at the meeting of theN Working Committee, NWC, on Monday, in Abuja.

However, some members of the NWC, sources said, kicked against the move and insisted that other Presidential aspirants which include Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Engr. David Umahi must be allowed to contest the primary election at tomorrow’s convention scheduled at the Eagle Square, Abuja.

Adamu’s adoption of Lawan as consensus candidate is against the position of 11 APC nothern governors who endorsed that power must shift to the South after President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure.

Adamu told the NWC that he arrived at the choice of Lawan after consultation with President Buhari.

Buhari, Northern govs in closed-door meeting

Reacting to the move, some APC northern governors raced to Aso Villa and currently meeting with -President Muhammadu Buhari.

The meeting is coming a day before the commencement of the party’s convention to elect its presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections.

Although President Buhari has maintained his position on the consensus arrangement, there has not been any agreement among the 23 presidential aspirants.

The meeting with the APC governors from the North is the fourth parley in his effort to ensure that the party presents a consensus candidate so as to reduce acrimony that may arise at the end of the convention.

The governors in attendance are Chairman of Progressive Governors Forum and governor of Kebbi state, Atiku Bagudu, chairman of Northern governors Forum and governor of Plateau State, Simeon Lalong, Abubakar Baduru (Jigawa) and Babagana Zulum (Borno).

Others are Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), Bello Matawale (Zamfara), Mallam Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna), Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Yahaya Inuwa (Gombe), Abubakar Bello (Niger), and the Yobe State governor, Mai Mala Buni.

Only the governor of Kogi, Yahaya Bello was yet to arrive.

Former lawmaker, Senator Dino Melaye has alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari is working towards imposing his successor on Nigerians.

In a video on his social media handles, Dino, who lost his bid to secure Peoples Democratic Party, PDP’s ticket to run for the Kogi West Senatorial District in 2023, said the country is practicing democracy and would not allow the imposition of a president.

He stated this while reacting to Buhari’s comment asking the APC governors to support him in choosing his successor.

Buhari, who met with the governors on Tuesday, had asked them to allow him to choose his successor as they did in their various states.

But Dino, in the video, tackled the president for using the word ‘successor’ and not party flag bearer, alleging that Buhari is aiming at imposing the next president on Nigerians.

He said, “Yesterday the president made a statement that is unconstitutional and showed some inhumane tendencies. The president said the APC governors should support him to choose his successor. The president used the word successor and not flagbearer or candidate of the APC.

“That statement has some negative effects and the negative effect is that Buhari wants to impose a president on Nigerians.

“We are in a democracy and so we will not allow imposition, we will not allow the president to handle this country as if we are in a monarchial or hereditary system of government.

“It is abominable and undemocratic for the president to be talking about a successor in an election that has not been conducted. I am calling on Nigerians to be at alert because the battle the salvage this country from economic scavengers is a battle of no retreat, no surrender”.

Hon. Sunday Anifowose, has been allegedly sacked by former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, for allegedly voting Atiku Abubakar at the just concluded Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primary in Abuja.

Anifowose’s exit from Fayose’s camp swells the number of loyalists that have deserted him citing one form of alleged betrayal or another. The list of the departed loyalists includes Hon. Samuel Omotosho, his former personal physician, and very close ally, Barr. Dipo Anisulowo, his Chief of Staff during his second term as Governor; and most recently Prof. Olusola Eleka, his Deputy Governor during his second year in office.

A reliable source from Fayose’s camp, who didn’t want his identity in print, said: “Mr. Fayose has sacked his Personal Assistant Admin and Special Duties and former Special Assistant on Stomach Infrastructure, Hon. Sunday Anifowose (Sunshine) for voting Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

“This happened when Fayose sent an SOS message to some of his core supporters that Mr. Sunshine should never be seen close to his NTS hotel at Ado Ekiti henceforth, for daring to go against his order to vote for Rivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike.”

The source revealed that Fayose is upset and very angry with some delegates from Ekiti who voted for Atiku, against his choice, adding that: “Fayose is still making his findings to know the number of delegates from Ekiti that flouted his order, but since Sunshine’s vote for Atiku is clearly confirmed, Fayose has vowed to deal with him seriously for such action, despite the immediate verbal molestation and harassment of Sunshine on Saturday evening by Fayose at the Abuja hotel, where the state delegates were lodged.”

Confirming the information, one of the Assistant officers of the State Working Committee (SWC) said Fayose will not spare Sunshine and others who voted for Atiku against Wike. They disgraced Fayose, and they will be punished severely for the disrespect, the source said.

Several attempts to speak with the sacked aide proved abortive as his phone number didn’t go through. But when asked about his reaction to the development, media aide to Fayose, Lere Olayinka denied it.

A former member of the board of trustees (BoT) of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Buba Galadima has decried the approach of President Muhammadu Buhari towards nipping corruption in the bud in his administration.

Galadima, while giving his assessment of the fight against corruption in Nigeria, said the arrest of the former Accountant-General of the federation, Ahmed Idris did not justify that the Buhari-led administration was fighting corruption.

He said: “Do you believe this man is fighting corruption because he arrested the Accountant-General? How many times was he told of the actions of the Accountant-General?

“It was because the pot was almost overflowing and there was nothing he could do that he was forced to pick him.

“It’s not the first time. Even when the Accountant-General’s tenure had expired, he allowed him to continue.

“When did his tenure expire? Two years ago? Why did he leave him in public office? Was greasing the palms of some people around him?”

The former ally of Buhari has, however, said whoever becomes the President has got a lot of work to do.

Speaking on the specific area the next President would need to work on, Galadima said: “He has to build trust between the governed and the people in government.

“He has to create an atmosphere that every Nigerian will feel he belongs to.

“The beginning of insecurity in Nigeria starts with the stealing of public funds by governors (the local government funds).

“As long as any government cannot address this there will be insecurity, because money will not be in circulation, because people steal more than they need,” he said.

Recall that Galadima, a former National Secretary of defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), was one of the signatories to the merger that birthed the APC.

He later broke away from the ruling party, alongside some agitated members to form a reformed APC.

Galadima afterwards denied his affiliation with any of Nigeria’s two dominant political parties.

Lately, Galadima has been in the forefront of campaigning on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, saying a former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso is the unopposed presidential flag bearer of the party.

Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, visited Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike in Abuja on Monday.

Atiku had defeated Wike at the PDP’s presidential primary in Abuja on Saturday night.

With Wike yet to issue a congratulatory message, Atiku however visited the governor to call for unity for the benefit of the PDP.

The reconciliation meeting was attended by former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose and other PDP leaders.

Speaking after the meeting Atiku said;

“In continuation of my commitment to bring everyone on board in ensuring that the PDP stands as one united party, earlier today, I visited His Excellency Gov Nyseom Wike at his Abuja residence. This is a continuous process.”