Prominent APC Presidential Aspirant Withdraws from Race, Gives Reason
- The governor of Jigawa state, Abubakar Badaru, will no longer be participating in the forthcoming APC presidential primary
- Badaru on Saturday, June 4, announced his withdrawal from the race in a bid to allow a southerner to emerge the APC presidential candidate
- The Jigawa state governor's decision is in line with the position of his colleagues from the north who have asked President Buhari to allow a southerner succeed him
PAY ATTENTION: Update Legit.ng App for free: the old version will be disabled soon
FCT, Abuja - Governor Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa state has withdrawn from the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential race.
He withdrew from the primary following an advisory to President Muhammadu Buhari by 11 APC Governors to cede power to the South in 2023, The Nation reported.
Source: Facebook
The governors and party leaders made their position known in a communique at the end of a meeting in Abuja.
The leaders who sent an advisory to Buhari were Governors Nasir El-Rufai, Aminu Bello Masari, Simon Lalong, Abdullahi Ganduje, Muhammed Inuwa Yahaya, Bello Matawalle and Abubakar Sani Bello.
PAY ATTENTION: Subscribe to Digital Talk newsletter to receive must-know business stories and succeed BIG!
Others were Abdullahi Sule, Babagana Umara Zulum, Atiku Bagudu and ex-Governor Aliyu Wamakko.
APC presidential primary: Northern governors hail Badaru
Following his withdrawal from the race, northern governors commended Badaru, describing his decision as "patriotic".
Badaru's withdrawal from the race was confirmed in the communiqué issued by the governors.
It reads:
“We therefore wish to strongly recommend to President Muhammadu Buhari that the search for a successor as the APC’s presidential candidate be limited to our compatriots from the southern states.
"We appeal to all aspirants from the northern states to withdraw in the national interest and allow only the aspirants from the south to proceed to the primaries.
"We are delighted by the decision of our esteemed colleague, His Excellency, Governor Abubakar Badaru to contribute to this patriotic quest by withdrawing his presidential aspiration.
"The APC has a duty to ensure that the 2023 elections offer a nation-building moment, reaffirming that a democratic pathway to power exists for all who value cooperation and build national platforms.
"This moment calls for the most sober and inclusive approach to selecting our party’s candidate, and we call on all APC leaders to fulfil their responsibility in this regard.”
Tinubu, Osinbajo, other southwest APC presidential aspirants meet
Meanwhile, hours after meeting with President Buhari at the State House, Abuja, presidential aspirants of the ruling APC from the southwest, held another meeting.
The meeting which kicked off on Saturday night, June 4, continued till Sunday morning as stakeholders from the region battled for a consensus candidate.
Photos from the meeting were shared by the governor of Osun state, Rotimi Akeredolu, on Twitter.
Source: Legit.ng
