APC ticket: Governors didn’t shortlist Tinubu, Osinbajo, Amaechi – Sule

 

.Yahaya Bello adamant, refuses to step down after meeting Buhari

.Jigawa delegate slumps, dies in Abuja 

.As EFCC officials storm APC Special Convention

 

Nasarawa Governor and Chairman of Media and Publicity of the All Progressives Congress (APC) convention, Abdullahi Sule, has denied governors in the party have pruned down the number of candidates for the primary to three from five.

While governor Sule said President Muhammadu Buhari would have preferred a consensus candidate to reduce rancour, he added that the party was set for an election in the event that the 23 candidates do not agree on a consensus arrangement.

Speaking during a chat with newsmen at the venue of the convention, Tuesday, Sule said: “People are actually mistaken and forgetting what the electoral act says. The governors have no power to reduce the number of aspirants, not even the party. According to section 84 subsection 9 to 10 of the act, it shows clearly that if one person says I am not going to withdraw, then, there is going to be an election.

 

“As far as we are concerned, we are ready for election, and if all the 23 people that are there are screened by the party and allowed for election, we will conduct an election.

 

 

“So, the idea of pruning down or selecting a number of people that Governors do is just to reduce the number of people that we intend to support in order to reduce the tension. It is not necessary to force anybody actually to step down.

 

 

“The number of people that we will be supporting has not been pruned down to three, it is still five.

 

 

“Sometimes you don’t always get what You want. I think Mr President definitely wanted consensus in order to reduce the rancour.

 

 

However, the president is a democrat and if he tries to convince people and they do not agree, he tells them to go out on the field and do it.”

Meanwhile, KOGI State Governor, Yahaya Bello has refused to accept the decision of his 13 Northern States Governors counterpart to endorse southern Presidential Candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Special Convention at the Eagles Square, Abuja.

Bello disclosed this to State House Correspondents shortly after meeting the President Muhammadu Buhari, at the State House, Abuja.

The governor noted that President Buhari supports a free and fair contest, warning that the party may be toeing a perilous path if he is excluded from the list of aspirants at the party’s convention.

His visit came barely 24 hours after a group of 13 APC northern governors led by Simon Lalong of Plateau State, met the president to affirm their resolution on a southern candidate.

Newsmen reported that the governors, making good on their word, submitted five names to the president for consideration.

Bello said he was at the Presidential Villa to explain to President Buhari why he excused himself from a meeting with the governors on Monday just before meeting the president.

He lamented that his counterparts did not consult him before settling on the decision for five aspirants.

Affirming that he belonged to the younger crop of Nigeria, Bello, expressed optimism about his emergence as flagbearer if the contest is fair and transparent.

Asked if he was willing to step down for a consensus candidate, Bello said only the president can direct him to step down.

 

However, Alhaji Isa Baba Buji, one of the All Progressives Congress (APC) delegates from Buji Local Government Area (LGA) of Jigawa State is dead.

Buji 61, died on Tuesday afternoon in Abuja. Until his sudden death, Buji was the APC vice chairman in charge of Jigawa Southwest.

He reportedly slumped in the morning at the State Liaison Office at FCT, while getting ready to go to the venue of the convention.

Although the cause of his death has not been confirmed, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo took to his Twitter page to mourn the deceased.

His spokesman, Laolu Akande expressed sadness over the delegate’s death.

Akande wrote, ”VP Osinbajo saddened by the news of the death this afternoon, in Abuja, of Alh. Isa Baba Buji, 61, one of our APC delegates from Buji Local Government, Jigawa State.

”He extends heartfelt condolence to his family, associates, govt & people of the State & prays his soul rests in peace.”

Confirming the development, the Jigawa State APC Public Relations Officer, Bashir Kundu, told Newsmen , “Of course, he died this morning”.

The public relations officer added that “he slumped at Jigawa state liaison office in Abuja and he was rushed to hospital and died before arriving the hospital. When we arrived at the hospital, he was confirmed dead.”

The deceased was conveyed to the hospital by the member of the House of Representatives representing Birnin Kudu/Buji Federal Constituency, Engr. Magaji Da’u Aliyu.

 

In another development, Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday stormed the Eagle Square venue of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Special Convention in Abuja.

The officials went round the convention venue before they finally took strategic positions.

However, the officials declined comment when approached by News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, correspondent at the convention.

EFCC officials had made similar appearance at the PDP Special Convention in Abuja on May 28, without making any arrest.

The visit might not be unconnected with recent social media reports indicating that delegates were paid hugely by presidential aspirants for votes at the convention.