APC Delegates, Ad Hoc Officials Clash As Accreditation Kicks Off

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APC Delegates, Ad Hoc Officials Clash As Accreditation Kicks Off

On Tuesday, delegates and ad hoc officials of the All Progressives Congress clashed at the venue of the party's national convention.

Accreditation, on the other hand, has begun following the resolution of the misunderstanding.

It has been learned that delegates will be given accreditation tags before proceeding to Eagle Square, the primary venue.

The PUNCH previously reported that an attempt by the All Progressives Congress National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, to select Senate President Ahmad Lawan – a northerner – as the APC's preferred candidate failed on Monday, as both the Presidency and the party's 12 northern governors openly distanced themselves from the move.

Adamu had called a meeting of the party's 25-member National Working Committee at the party's headquarters in Abuja ahead of Tuesday's presidential primary (today).

At the meeting, Adamu informed the NWC that Lawan was the party's anointed candidate, a move that was not accepted by all members.

According to reports, the national chairman insisted on Lawan's selection after consulting with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).

Adamu hurriedly jumped into his vehicle and drove away after the meeting.

The APC's stance on Monday threatened the South's chances of producing the next president, as a northerner, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, won the presidential ticket of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party on May 28 after defeating southern aspirants such as Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike and Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel.

Northern governors in the APC, however, raised the hopes of the South at their meeting on Saturday night when they insisted that the party's presidential candidate come from the south of the country.

On Monday, some NWC members, northern governors, and other presidential aspirants voiced their opposition to Adamu's plan to impose Lawan.

Immediately following the NWC meeting, about seven members led by the APC's National Organising Secretary, Suleman Argungu, told journalists at the party secretariat that Lawan was not the party's preferred candidate.