₦airaland Forum

A member of the House of Representatives representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa Federal Constituency, Honourable Shina Abiola Peller, has left the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Peller, who is an indigene of Iseyin in Oke Ogun geo-political zone in Oyo State, made this announcement via a letter addressed to the Chairman of his ward.

Our correspondent recalls that Peller was elected on the platform of APC in 2019.

He was one of the aspirants who vied for Oyo North Senatorial District seat on the platform of APC in the recent primary election.

The lawmaker has however renounced his membership of APC.

Peller, in the letter he personally signed and addressed to APC Ward 9 chairman, Koso in Iseyin Local Government Area, insisted that he took the decision after due consultation with his people.

The lawmaker said that undemocratic conduct of some party chieftains particularly in Oyo State has shown that the people from the grassroots and the youth will continue to be at the mercy of the few at the top.

He alleged that some people within the party imposed their preferred candidate against the wish of the people.

He maintained that he left the APC because his people have asked him to do so.

He explained further that he decided to join politics not for selfish reason but the overall interest of Nigerian youths and the people of Oke Ogun.

He said, “I write to formally inform you of the renouncement of my membership from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“I took this decision after due consultation with my people from the Oke Ogun region and beyond who feel humiliated by the undemocratic acts and decisions of some gladiators within Oyo State APC.

“President Muhammadu Buhari preached bottom-to-top approach driven APC, but the undemocratic conduct of some party chieftains particularly in Oyo State has shown that the people from the grassroots and the youth will continue to be at the mercy of the few at the top, who impose their preferred candidate against the wish of the people, as recently witnessed in Oyo North Senatorial District where I belong.

“My people have therefore decided that we withdraw our membership of the APC, and I totally align with them as I delved into politics not for selfish reason but the overall interest of Nigerian youths and the people of Oke Ogun. So. I hereby renounce my membership of the APC”.

I’ve tried my best for APC, the party style of democracy in Oyo State kills my conscience and I have to put my people’s interest first. I’ve realized that the youths and the people at the grassroots will continue to be at the mercy of a few at the top. I'll announce my new political party at the next seating of the House of Representatives on Tuesday 21st June 2022.

Currently, as a serving lawmaker, who is driven by the collective interest of those that I represent, it's unjust to be quiet in the face of injustice and the APC has not shown readiness to address issues raised. #Gbera

The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Council Worldwide has declared that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State remains an Igbo son and would enjoy all rights and privileges.

Okowa was on Thursday announced as running mate to Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of The youth wing of apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has declared that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State remains an Igbo son and would enjoy all rights and privileges.

Okowa was on Thursday announced as running mate to Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Reacting swiftly, the Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro said the PDP would not get votes from the South-East for not giving the position to someone from the area.
However, in a statement on Friday, the OYC President-General, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike and the Secretary-General, Comrade Obinna Achionye distanced the youths from Isiguzoro’s stand.

The youths said, “Okowa is a true son of Igboland, a bonafide member of Ohanaeze; we cannot, therefore, rise against one of our own.
“A former President-General of Ohanaeze, Ambassador Ralph Uwechue is from the same area as Okowa. They are our brothers by every standard and we cannot ditch them now simply because of political exigency.”

While noting that Ndigbo were not happy for not getting the PDP presidential slot, they asked: “should we now throw away the baby with the bathwater? The answer is a capital ‘NO’.
“Having said this, we reiterate that Ndigbo are happy with his emergence as the vice presidential candidate of the PDP and will accord him all the needed support.

We urge Ndigbo to support him; we must be strategic this time and not put all our eggs in one basket.”

Reacting swiftly, the Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro said the PDP would not get votes from the South-East for not giving the position to someone from the area.

However, in a statement on Friday, the OYC President-General, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike distanced the youths from Isiguzoro’s stand.

Okwu said, “Okowa is a true son of Igboland, a bonafide member of Ohanaeze; we cannot, therefore, rise against one of our own.

“A former President-General of Ohanaeze, Ambassador Ralph Uwechue is from the same area as Okowa. They are our brothers by every standard and we cannot ditch them now simply because of political exigency.”

While noting that Ndigbo were not happy for not getting the PDP presidential slot, he asked: “should we now throw away the baby with the bathwater? The answer is a capital ‘NO’.

“Having said this, we reiterate that Ndigbo are happy with his emergence as the vice-presidential candidate of the PDP and will accord him all the needed support.

“We urge Ndigbo to support him; we must be strategic this time and not put our eggs in one basket.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has affirmed the May 29, 2022 primary election of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State that produced Dr. Ifeanyi-Chukwuma Odii as the governorship candidate.

This is apart from the judgement of the Federal High Court, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, nullifying the rescheduled PDP governorship primary election in Ebonyi State and declaring Dr. Odii as the authentic governorship candidate of the party.

“The primaries were not monitored by INEC, therefore, the rescheduled exercise of June 4 and 5, that elected Senator Obinna Ogba as another gubernatorial candidate and others are hereby nullified,” Justice Fatun Riman said.

In the INEC report exclusively obtained by our reporter, the Commission concluded that the Governorship primary election of the PDP, held on May 29, 2022 was “successfully held as scheduled.”

The report dated May 30, 2022, was signed by the Head of Department of INEC Elections and Party Monitoring Department (EPM) in Ebonyi State, C. C. Nwodo, Anayo Onyejekwe and Oko Kelechi O. for the Ebonyi State team while Musa Husunu, Esther Ofoegbu and Abiodun O. Lawal signed as Monitoring Team from the INEC Headquarters in Abuja.

In the report, Dr Nwazunku Augustine Alugbala scored one vote, Mr Nwankwo Fidelis Nwibo had one vote, Hon. Ogbaga Sylvester got 8 votes, Dr Eze Emmanuel Eze, one vote; Hon Christian Usulor, 9votes; Chief Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odili scored 349 votes, Dr Andrew Sunday Opoke got six votes and Senator Paulinus Igwe Nwagu, one vote.

The report reads in part, “The Peoples Democratic Party organized its governorship primary for the purpose of electing her flag bearer in Ebonyi State. It was held as scheduled on the 29th May, 2022.

“The venue of the Governorship Primary was the PDP State Secretariat along Abakaliki/Enugu Express way. The Primary was jointly monitored by the state and Abuja Teams. The monitoring exercise was coordinated by HOD EPM, INEC, Ebonyi State and the leader of Abuja Team.

“A seven member Electoral Committee was on ground to oversee the conduct of the conduct of he Primary.”

Members of the Electoral Committee were listed as Engr Chris Okolo, Chairman; Olalekan Rotimi, Secretary; Barnabas O. Kunwa, Cynthia Nana Bala, Comrade Chidi Chidiebere, Mr Joseph Ode and Mrs Joy Odike as members.

The report reads further, “INEC concluded that the Governorship Primary election of the PDP in Ebonyi State was successfully held as scheduled.

“Though not timeous because of the other levels of primaries earlier held that day before the commencement of the Governorship Primary, it was hitch free.

“The accreditation and voting process were smooth and devoid of rancor.There was adequate security at the venue of the Primary.

“The Governorship Primary was largely held in accordance with the party guidelines for primaries, congresses and conventions.

“Gender representation and spread was noticed among delegates and one female was on the ballot.

“The outcome/result was generally accepted by delegates present.

“The Governorship Primary was generally well organized and could be adjudged to be free, fair and credible.It was orderly, peaceful, transparent and conclusive.”

A former National Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mark Jacob, at the weekend took a swipe at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, describing him as unfit to be the country’s next leader.

Jacob who spoke when he appeared on Arise Television, THISDAY’s broadcast arm, maintained that given the complex nature of the country and the deterioration in all sectors, Nigeria requires a hands-on person to pilot its affairs.

Jacob expressed doubt over the official age of the APC leader, alleging that from official records in the public space, the politician is only about seven to eight years senior to his (Tinubu’s) first daughter.

He remarked that rating Tinubu over the PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, was a wrong calculation, stating that he only made inroads in the north during the primaries of the APC.

The ex-legal adviser maintained that when it comes to the general elections, Tinubu would not stand a chance in the north, stressing that the perception that he already has President Muhammadu’s votes in the north locked-in was a myth.

“He will make some little efforts. In fact, if it was Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, it is very possible that some young people, some very active people in the north would have supported him. But for Tinubu, what really does he have that can be compared to Atiku?

“The campaigns are already on. Just go on social media. If you understand Hausa, what they are now saying is that we are going from father to grandfather and that is what the APC is giving us. Nobody will buy that in the Nigeria of today.

“We have suffered enough in the past seven years in the hands of a baba. We cannot in all honesty, as Nigerians, hand over Nigeria to a grandfather who appears frail and has difficulty managing even his frame.

“This country is too complicated to be handed over to somebody who has difficulty managing his health, his life, his person. If you manage a very big company aimed at making a profit, you will be careful who you hand over the running of the company to if you want to make profit.

“Nigeria is a serious business concern and cannot be handed over to persons who are having challenges,” he pointed out.

Reminded that Atiku is at least six years older than Tinubu, Jacob remarked that put on the same race track, Atiku will outrun the former Lagos governor, since according to him he’s fitter in all respects.

“Does he (Atiku) look older than him (Tinubu) if you put them on the race track? His current age is what he has decided to show you and some of us are aware that he’s seven years older than his daughter by the information in the public domain.

“When did he marry? When did he give birth to his daughter? She’s 61 and he’s 69. How can we play with Nigeria like that? People must take this country seriously and people must be serious as to who will handle this very complicated country in the next few years. We can’t joke with it and we cannot toy with it,” he added.

Noting that the country is currently at a precipice, the lawyer explained that if Nigerians are serious, they must go beyond the mundane and look at the serious issues at stake, including the candidates’ health.

“How can we hand over our country to persons who can on even simple issues like age not be very forthright when it’s very apparent that it’s different from what you are swearing that you are in your declaration of age. It’s not correct and it’s not fair to the country that we just joke over these things,” he declared.

Away from Tinubu, Jacob said that this time , Atiku must consult widely on the issue of his running mate, noting that in 2019, the choice of Peter Obi was not applauded by most of the governors, a development that impacted the outcome of the election.

He stated that the candidate must be a result of consultations, including agreements with PDP governors, the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) as well as the Board of Trustees (BoT) members.

He expressed joy that Atiku remains a very good politician who knows the right thing to do, stressing that the choice of the running mate to Atiku will be a purely political decision.

He maintained that Obi, may also not go far because his support is allegedly coming from one zone, but admitted that the votes of the PDP may be diluted by Obi.

Jacob stressed that many people who initially rooted for a president of eastern Nigeria extraction are now disappointed since even the delegates from the South-east didn’t vote their own during the special convention.

According to him, nobody will stick out their neck for a cause when even Igbo people did not vote their people during the meeting.

Out of the 90 votes from the South-east, he said Anyim got just about 20, adding that of the 200 in the PDP, the Igbo aspirants got just a few with many voting for Atiku.

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno, is allegedly currently embroiled in a certificate forgery and impersonation scandal.

Akan Okon, a PDP aspirant in the state, has filed a suit asking the Federal High Court in Uyo to disqualify Eno as he was cleared in error by the party’s screening committee to participate in the primary.

According to the court documents, Okon claimed Eno altered his date of birth resulting in three different dates of birth – 24/25 April 1964 and January 1, 1964.

“The signature of Chairman of Council and the Registrar of Council on the certificate of the 2nd Defendant are all boldened but other certificates issued by the West African Examination Council for that year do not have boldened signatures of the principal officers of West African Examination Council. The implication is that the certificate of the 2nd Defendant has computer generated signatures of the Chairman and Registrar of the examining body,” court documents seen by SaharaReporters read.

“When certificate presented by the 2nd Defendant to the Governorship Screening Committee of the 1st Defendant is compared with genuine certificates issued by the examining body, it will be noticed that the letter CD and PO are the only boldened items, the alphanumeric that follow are not boldened as seen on the certificate presented by the 2nd Defendant.

“Photocopy of the certificate presented by the 2nd Defendant to the Screening Committee of the 1st Defendant fails to show the security background of the examining body. It only shows a white background.”
Okon added that the party’s governorship candidate presented forged voter’s cards and two forged West African School Certificates of 1981 and 1983 to the screening committee.

According to the documents, Eno stated in his credentials that he attended St. Francis Secondary School, Eket, Akwa Ibom State and Victory High School, Ikeja, Lagos State from 1975 to 1981 (6 years) when he obtained his Ordinary Level Certificate.

However, records showed that the 6-3-3-4 system of education commenced in Nigeria in 1983 and, as stated in the writ of summons, the first set of students that wrote the examination did so in 1989.

Reacting to the suit, a resident of the state, Bassey Isonguyio PhD asked the PDP to disqualify the candidate.
He said, “With the seemingly endless leadership crisis that has plunged Nigeria and almost every strata of Government across the country, it has become pertinent for citizens to device means of subjecting those aspiring for leadership positions to unbiased independent scrutiny to ascertain that they are duly qualified for the public office they aspire to occupy.

“Clearly, the institutions saddled with such essential responsibility have all failed and with the current sad reality and its devastating negative effects, Nigerians cannot continue to risk the country, states, local government councils and other critical public offices by allowing unscrupulous people assume leadership.

“The current allegations of certificate forgery, falsification of date of birth and other controversies surrounding the 2023 governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno, further buttresses the argument that our institutions in charge of maintaining law, order and ensuring due process are severely compromised and consequently contributing to the myriads of problems facing the country.

“For instance, before the forgery allegations were brought to fore by Mr Akan Okon, one of the governorship aspirants, through his legal team, there were already rumours about it. In fact, reliable sources within the PDP confirmed that the national leadership of the Party was aware of Umo Eno's certificate forgery issue during the screening of aspirants but was compelled to ignore it and subsequently clear Umo Eno for the party's primary election.

“Again, it is also reliably gathered that the inconsistencies in Umo Eno's credentials were first discovered during his screening as a commissionership nominee by the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly. But nonetheless, the shameful discovery was overlooked and he was cleared, confirmed and subsequently appointed as a Commissioner in the State Executive Council.

“The implication of this is that due to the compromise by established institutions, a man with very strong forgery allegations hanging on his neck, has not only criminally manipulated his way through public service, but will potentially be on the ballot and will be voted for by an electorate that is yearning for good and accountable governance.

“Umo Eno has questions to answer over his certificates, documented multiple dates of birth among others. A copy of Umo Eno's credentials I saw showed that Mr Eno combines two Ordinary Level Certificates (African Examinations Council General Certificate of Education of June 1981 and December 1983). Having closely studied both certificates, this writer is compelled to agree with the forgery allegations. This is so because in the process of carrying out my independent investigation, I have obtained and carefully studied different certificates issued by the same examination council to other candidates who wrote the examination the same year with Umo Eno. The difference is too obvious to be ignored.

“As at the time Umo Eno claims he spent six years in secondary school, Nigeria was practicing the 6-5-4 system of education which provided six years for primary, five years for secondary and four years for tertiary schools.
Umo Eno will therefore have to explain if he failed and repeated a class in secondary school, and if need be, will have to tender the result of the said failure in order to prove his case beyond every reasonable doubt.

“For instance, the candidate number on Umo Eno's certificate is 15725119 whereas, as independently verified from my observations of other certificates, the candidates who wrote West African Examination Council General Certificate of Education, Ordinary Level in 1983 have 06 and not 15 as the first two digits of their number. It is a common knowledge that that in issuing numbers like this, there is ought to be a uniform serial format that will help the examination body keep track of the number of certificates it has issued.

“Clearly, the 06 in the candidate number on the certificates issued in 1983 was the format which apparently the forgers of Umo Eno's certificate were not aware of. In addition, there is a very obvious difference between the signatures of Chairman of Council and the Registrar of Council on Umo Eno's certificate and that on the certificates of other candidates who wrote the examination the same year. This, I also verified from my investigation.

“Again, a photocopy of Umo Eno's voter's card submitted to the PDP screening committee and obtained by me, bears 01-01-1964 as his date of birth but his curriculum vitae and credentials bear 24th April, 1964. From my investigation, Mr Eno presented the credentials with the 24th April, 1964 date of birth to the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly for screening as Commissionership nominee. It therefore means that while the government of the federal Republic of Nigeria recognises 01-01-1964 as Umo Eno's date of birth, he is parading 24-04-1964 as his date of birth and using same to manipulate his way into public offices. Absurdly, he has provided no affidavit to clarify the issue.

“In my opinion, having carefully studied the details of the writ of summons from the Federal High Court and juxtaposed it with my independent findings from the observation on Umo Eno's credentials, I can draw some conclusions. First, Umo Eno should be worried about the allegations of certificate forgery because the evidence is very weighty. Secondly, Umo Eno is not a diligent individual otherwise many of the damaging inconsistencies in his credentials would have been avoided. Thirdly, the PDP in Akwa Ibom must have to decide early enough whether they are prepared to sink if the impending storm eventually rocks this boat or they are going to disembark while there is still time.

“Recently, I was able to confirm that Umo Eno truly under-pays people (non-members of his church inclusive) who provide services for his under the pretext of tithe. This is an allegation that he and his cronies have been denying. As it stands now, the shady nature of Umo Eno's history has raised a big question about his personality. If it is eventually proven that he lied about his certificates, the question will be “what else has he been lying about?” Could it be his Royalty Group business? Or his “barracks boy” story? Is Umo Eno the male version of “Ovaioza”? Who really is Umo Eno?”

A governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State has asked the Federal High Court in Uyo to nullify the party’s governorship primary for failure to comply with the law.

The aspirant, Ita Enang, a former presidential aide, said the primary held on May 26 violates Section 84(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 as it was not monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Mr Enang, a former senator, also asked the court to nullify the nomination of the governorship candidate of the party, Akanimo Udofia, because, according to him, Mr Udofia was not a registered member of the party at the time the primary was held.

He further prayed the court to stop INEC from accepting Mr Udofia as the governorship candidate of the party.

In the alternative, Mr Enang urged the court to order the APC to conduct a new governorship primary without the participation of Mr Udofia or declared him the duly nominated governorship candidate of the primary among other prayers.

Mr Enang told PREMIUM TIMES on Friday that there was no primary in Akwa Ibom as voting materials and election committee members were at the State Security Service (SSS) in Uyo after they were rescued.

He said everybody had gone to bed after the chairman of the committee said he was traumatised as a result of the fight over the control of the election materials by supporters of the two factions of the party in the state.

The APC in Akwa Ibom has been torn into two factions because of a protracted battle between the former minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, and the former national secretary of APC, John Akpanudoedehe, over the control of the party structure in the state.

Mr Enang, who pitched tent with Mr Akpabio’s faction, was banking on his (Akpabio) support to clinch the party’s governorship ticket in the state.

He, however, became disappointed after Mr Akpabio backed Mr Udofia to emerge as the APC governorship candidate in the state.

Mr Akpanudoedehe after being outmanoeuvred by Mr Akpabio’s faction during the governorship primary defected to the New Nigerian Peoples Party where he secured the party’s governorship ticket in the state.

Top 10 states in Nigeria with least domestic debt in Q1 2022

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BREAKING NEWS

Senator Aliero left APC for PDP, Gives Reason.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Works and Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Distinguished Senator Adamu Aliero has left the ruling party, APC and decamped to the opposition party, PDP.

The former two times Governor of Kebbi State and Former FCT Minister said, he left the ruling party because of the great provocation, ridicule and flagrant persecution, to give opportunity for peace, reconciliation and harmonious existence.

Senator Aliero further said baffling and alarming for his State Governor to get away with the fraudulent act of composing the list of delegates were the major reasons why he left the ruling party, APC.

The three times Senator who represents Kebbi Central Senatorial District, said it was after an extensive consultations with all the important stakeholders that he had to come to this difficult but inevitable decision to pitch his political tent elsewhere; where he could enjoy greater sense of belonging and where the interest of the Nigerian would be best served.

"For the past three years, my people and associates have suffered alienation and have been treated as outsiders in their own party. Thus, many have become disaffected and disenchanted. At the same time, opportunities to seek redress and correct these anomalies were deliberately blocked as a Hovernment within a government had formed an impregnable wall and left in the cold, everyone else who was not recognized as "one of us". This is why we decided to seek accomodations elsewhere".

Senator Aliero appreciate the National Chairman of the APC for his interventions and efforts at containing the excesses of the Governor during it's difficult time.

The former governor hopes that the APC will respect the choice he has made as a democratic right so that he could not become enemies of one another despite political differences." He added.

Some bigwigs who joined Senator Adamu includes Former Governor of Kebbi State, Alh. Sa'idu Usman Nasamu Dakingari, Senate Leader and Senator Representing Kebbi North, Senator Dr. Yahayya Abdullahi, Former Deputy Comptroller of Custom, Alh. Muhammad Mera (Ciroman Kabob Argungu), National Chairman, Federal Road Safety Corps, Hon. Buhari Bello, Members House of Representatives, Representing Birnin Kebbi Kalgo and Bunza, Hon. Bello Yakubu Rilisco, His Colleague,
representing Aliero, Gwandu and Jega, Hon. Muhammad Umar Jega, and Hon. Abdullahi Zimbo, Member Representing Dandi and Arewa in the House of Representatives.

Others were Former Speaker, Kebbi State House of Assembly and Member Representing Dandi local Government, Rt. Hon. Samaila Abdulmumin Kamba, Deputy Speaker and Member Representing Aliero Constituency, Rt. Hon. Muhammad Buhari Aliero, that of Gwandu, Hon. Habibu Labbo Gwandu, and Hon. Samaila Bui, Member Representing Augie in the House of Assembly.

The remaining are Chairman State Emergency Management Agency, Alh. Sani Dododo, Former Commissioner of Agriculture, Alh. Abdullahi Lamba Yauri, Former Commissioner of Finance, Arch. Bala Sani Kangiwa, Federal Commissioner, National Character Commission, Hon. Atiku Bunu Jega, Former Chairmen of Jega, Dandi, Kalgo and Aliero Local Government,
Barr. Shehu Marshal, Hon. Garba Salihu Dila Kamba, Hon. Umar Namashaya Diggi and Hon. Abubakar Sale Samaila Aliero.

Prof Sahabi Danladi Mahuta who's aspiring for the position of House of Representatives, Hon. Mansur Musa Jega, Hon. Umar Kalgo, Former Permanent Secretaries, Special Advisers and some councillors also joined Senator Aliero's decamping from the ruling party to the opposition party, PDP.

Houd Aliero,
Media Aide,
Senator Adamu Aliero.

WANTED BY THE EFCC
You know their whereabout? Please get across to the EFCC or the nearest Police Station. They need to answer to one or two questions on their roles concerning allegation of economic and financial crimes. Together, we shall make Nigeria free of economic and financial crimes.

The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar is currently in a closed door meeting with governors elected on the party’s platform.

Atiku has summoned to the meeting hours before the victory of Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu as flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress.

The meeting which is holding at the Legacy House Maitama, Abuja, is expected to be the first in a series of meetings preparatory to the campaigns for the the 2023 general elections.

All efforts by the elders of the South-West zone to come up with a consensus candidate ahead of the Tuesday presidential primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) seem to have hit the rock as the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo are said to be adamant.

The Southwest leaders who met with the presidential aspirants from the zone on Saturday night at the Abuja home of a former governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba continued with their moves on Sunday to present a common front ahead of the presidential primary election.

The geo-political zone leaders fronting the consensus move include Osoba and former APC Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande with governors and elders of the region, but the meeting ended without them reaching a consensus.

Multiple sources told our correspondents that while the meeting was ongoing yesterday, the duo of Osinbajo and Tinubu were not ready to shift grounds as they have continued to intensify their consultations and engagements with delegates.

The aspirants from the South West region include Osinbajo, Tinubu, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, and Ogun State Governor, Chief Dapo Abiodun, Senator Robert Ajayi Boroffice and Pastor Tunde Bakare.

Sources said while some of the aspirants were ready to shift grounds, Osinbajo and Asiwaju are not.

“We expect both Asiwaju and VP to slug it out as efforts to persuade one of them to step down have not yielded results as of now,” a source who does not want to be named, hinted.

The duo of Akande and Osoba, who have been making efforts to arrive at a consensus among aspirants from the South West, have rejected several efforts to comment on the move.

Attn: Immediate Past National Secretary of APC
Distinguished Senator John James Akpanudoedehe dumps Apc officially.

President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria has advised APC presidential candidates to mediate between them to allow one person to represent the party in the 2023 presidential election.

The president advised them during a meeting with them on Saturday night at the State House in Abuja.

All the candidates were present at the meeting, including National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who recently made some remarks about the incumbent president.

However, in an interview with BBC Hausa, presidential spokesman Malam Garba Shehu denied reports by some Nigerian media outlets that the president was backing the South.

"This issue has not arisen. All he has to do is negotiate and get one person out of it, and he has shown that as a leader he is ready to provide leadership to make that happen." he said.

Prior to the meeting, it was speculated that President Buhari would announce his support ahead of the APC's run-off election next week.

But Garba Shehu did not rule out the possibility, saying that if the president consults with the right people then it is possible to do what happened during the recent APC presidential election, in which Buhari backed Abdullahi Adamu in limited time.

SENATOR GODSWILL AKPABIO IS FIRMLY IN THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE, REMAINS ASPIRANT TO BEAT - GACO