Buhari Okays Southern Presidency, Refuses To ‘Anoint’ Anyone Among APC Aspirants

President Muhammadu Buhari has endorsed the rotation of the presidency to the Southern part of the country after his eight-year tenure.

The president made this known in a meeting he had with presidential aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress on Saturday night.

Earlier in the meeting, the president asked the ruling APC presidential aspirants to pick a consensus candidate among themselves ahead of the party’s primary on June 6 as reported by Charity Reporters.

Charity Reporters had also reported that 11 northern governors backed a southern aspirant for the ruling party.

This led Jigawa Governor Badaru to withdraw from the presidential race, according to a statement from the governors on Saturday night.

The governors who signed the statement include; Bello Masari, Katsina; Nasir El-Rufai, Kaduna; Atiku Bagudu, Kebbi; Simon Lalong, Plateau; Abdullahi Ganduje, Kano; Bello Matawalle, Zamfara; Inuwa Yahaya, Gombe; Babagana Zulum, Borno; Sani Bello, Niger; and Abdullahi Sule, Nasarawa.

Apart from former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu, and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, other aspirants are the Senate President Ahmad Lawan and former ministers Rotimi Amaechi, Ogbonnaya Onu, Godswill Akpabio, and Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba.

Serving governors who are also aspiring to be president are Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Ben Ayade (Cross River) and Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa).

Others include former Senate President Ken Nnamani, former House of Representatives Speaker, Dimeji Bankole, and serving senators Ibikunle Amosun, Ajayi Boroffice, and Rochas Okorocha.