An anticipated bid by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to adopt the consensus arrangement in picking its presidential aspirant may turn out to be hard nut to crack for the governing party, as one its frontline presidential aspirants, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, insisted before the party’s presidential screening committee that he will never step down for any preferred candidate.

The APC national leader was among the twelve presidential aspirants screened yesterday by the party in camera.

The screening of the APC presidential aspirants which took place at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, was shrouded in secrecy, away from curious journalists who were restricted to lobby at the reception of the five star hotel.

The twelve presidential aspirants screened yesterday include Tinubu; minister of Transportatation, Rotimi Amaechi; Jigawa State governor, Abubakar Badaru; former Senate president, Ken Nnamani; former minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajuiba, former governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; fiery Lagos cleric and former vice presidential candidate to Muhammadu Buhari in 2011, Pastor Tunde Bakare.

Others are Ebonyi State governor, Dave Umahi; former Zamfara State governor, Ahmed Sani Yerima; Senator Ajayi Boroffice; the only female aspirant, Barr (Mrs) Uju Kennedy Ohnenye, and Pastor Nicholas Felix Nwagbo.

Tinubu who arrived at the screening venue at about 5:50pm had a difficult on his way to the screening room at Transcorp Hotel as a crowd fell over themselves to welcome him with cheers and songs of praises.

LEADERSHIP gathered reliably that sitting right before the committee, Tinubu told members of the presidential screening panel that he won’t agree to a consensus under any circumstance.

His stance was said to have put the former Lagos State Governor “at loggerheads with the whole panel.”

Other aspirants, apart from Tinubu and one of the presidential hopefuls, it was learnt, said they had no option than to bow to whims of the party in the spirit of party supremacy in the event where the party chooses to settle for a consensus presidential candidate.

“Only two others had reservations. But essentially everyone agreed that the interest of the party is sacrosanct. Tinubu outrightly disagreed. He said the only circumstance he would agree is if he emerges as the consensus candidate,” a source close to the screening panel told this paper last night.

There were also concerns yesterday in the camp of the APC national leader following the appointment of a former national chairman of the party, John Odigie-Oyegun, his estranged erstwhile political ally, as chairman of APC presidential screening panel.

Tinubu and Oyegun fell apart during the leadership crisis that consumed latter, leading to the emergence of former Edo State governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomole, as his successor.

While the APC was unobtrusive in planning and conducting the screening exercise at an undisclosed room at the Transport Hilton hotel Abuja, journalists had a hard day locating the venue when news broke in the early hours of yesterday without any official statement from the party to the effect that the exercise would hold.

At the hotel, journalists were barred from the venue of the screening unlike in the past when the conventional practice had been for the party to inform the media with details of the screening, including the venue and time of event.

There were no details about membership of the screening committee and when it was constituted till later in the day when it became clear that the APC quickly set up a seven-member committee chaired by Odigie-Oyegun to conduct the screening exercise for the presidential aspirants.

National chairman of the party, Sen Abdullahi Adamu, and National Secretary, Iyiola Omisore, were also said to be members the committee.

There had also been reports that the governing party was planning to prune the number of its presidential aspirants as part of plans for a consensus option which has popped up names like former President Goodluck Jonathan a possible preferred candidate.

The APC had postponed its presidential screening exercise for three consecutive times, leading to the postponement of its presidential convention earlier scheduled to be held on May 29-30.

Xscape1993:
He will never smell Aso Rock no matter what he says or does.

Karlovych:
The lifeless hoodlum will still lose the ticket and all his owomida minions can cry themselves to sleep on missing out on his 12 million naira promise they plan to run away from the country with, spits.

#Back to Iragbiji

Khaleepha5681:
Atiku is winnibg the next election,Tinubu knows he has nothing to lose.

Atiku is openhanded and forgives even those seeibg themselves as his enemies (because he has not enemies), so why wouldn't he align with Tinubu,his long time friend(Though anyone is Atiku's friend)?

Tinubu is one of the happiest people with the emergence of Atiku. Many people both in PDP,APC,APGA,NNPP etc are.

Atiku would nominate many people from opposition, mark this.

drlateef:




You mean you support Atiku the confirmed thief by Obasanjo in his book: Not my Will? Have you read the book?

Khaleepha5681:


I have read it.

But who wrote the book?

Do you expect lion to be not a villain in the novel written by he-goat?

Chinua Achebe is surprised at you.

"Until lions have their storyteller, the story would always favour the hunter".

I am not that pig that swallow any gorilla's vomits.


And since it is confirmed, Obj has had his share...otherwise EFCC would have dealt with Atiku.

He even used Nuhu Ribado,where is Nuhu and where is Atiku?

Chimaraymond455:
Nobody is forcing you to step down,

but we still maintain our stands,

without Igbo president come 2023 north continue,

After Obasanjo 8years, south west
Osinbajo vp 8years south west
then you want to another south west, and you call your self human?

Power is not returning to south anytime soon until south east rule.

Chimaraymond455:
Nobody is forcing you to step down,

but we still maintain our stands,

without Igbo president come 2023 north continue,

After Obasanjo 8years, south west
Osinbajo vp 8years south west
then you want to another south west, and you call your self human?

Power is not returning to south anytime soon until south east rule.

drlateef:



And Atiku who is being maligned has kept quiet? Where did he get all the money in dolls out every 4 years to delegates? Was he not a bloody customs officer? How much was his salary?

drlateef:



And Atiku who is being maligned has kept quiet? Where did he get all the money in dolls out every 4 years to delegates? Was he not a bloody customs officer? How much was his salary?

drlateef:



And Atiku who is being maligned has kept quiet? Where did he get all the money in dolls out every 4 years to delegates? Was he not a bloody customs officer? How much was his salary?

Kobakunda:
The JAGABAN of Nigeria ❤️❤️

INCOMING PRESIDENT ❤️❤️

Freedom of speech is allowed.

So don't criticize me, I'd support whoever i think is the best candidate for Nigeria!

OkoroBufo:
It would amount to an insult on the part of a national leader. He deserves equal respect as Buhari.

-Okoro bufo