Why Governor Badaru Picked APC Presidential Nomination Forms

1 year ago

Why Governor Badaru Picked APC Presidential Nomination Forms

Facts have emerged as to why Jigawa State Governor, Muhammad Badaru picked the All Progressives Congress(APC) presidential nomination forms despite the understanding within the party that the next President of Nigeria should come from the southern part of the country.

WesternPost gathered that APC governors challenged Governor Badaru on his presidential bid which does not enjoy any support among his colleagues and party leaders during a meeting of the governors with the National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, on Monday night in Abuja.

A source close to the meeting told our correspondent that Kebbi State Governor, Abubakar Bagudu, Chairman of Progressives Governors Forum, and other governors accused Badaru of going against the mutual understanding that the presidency in APC should come to the South to preserve the unity of the country.

According to our source, Governor Badaru defended his action as kind of insurance for APC to mitigate against the likelihood of a Presidential candidate from the North by Peoples Democratic Party. The PDP has former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Senator Bukola Saraki, Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal and Mohammed Hayatudeen, a retired banker as its leading presidential aspirants.

“Badaru told the National Chairman Adamu and other APC governors at the meeting Monday night why he obtained the presidential nomination forms. He was accused of bad faith knowing that the party wants the next President to come from the South. There is no way another northerner can succeed President Buhari via the APC platform after his eight years in office. The only explanation Badaru had was that he took the forms so that APC will have a fall back position in the event PDP picks its presidential candidate from the North. He made the point that a strong Northern PDP presidential candidate will be difficult to defeat by a Southern APC candidate,” revealed the source.

Other matters that were discussed at the meeting with National Chairman was the mode of selecting the party’s presidential candidate. The APC governors, according to our source were unambiguous in saying no to consensus arrangement. The governors told the chairman that the party’s presidential candidate should emerge through delegates election process. APC will hold its presidential primary election on May 29-30 at the Eagle Square in Abuja.

The party has not started the screening of the presidential candidates. 28 aspirants reportedly obtained the forms after paying N100million each out of which 25 of the aspirants submitted their forms. Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, President of Africa Development Bank and former President Goodluck Jonathan are the three purported aspirants that did not return their forms after the deadline.
There is a new media speculation that former President Jonathan might have surreptitiously submitted his nomination forms before the deadline and he is still in the fray for the APC ticket due to the support he is still getting from those who want to foist him on the party.