The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday, May 31, urged state governors of the present All Progressives Congress (APC) party to help him in appointing a successor that would stand in elections for a presidential contest in February 2023.
The citizens of Nigeria will go to the polls to elect a new president, as Buhari will be stepping down from his seat after leading the most popular country in Africa for eight years.
The APC party has chosen June 6 to 8 for a special convention to elect a presidential candidate. Suppose the President has his way as well as the governors, who have influence with voting delegates, rally behind his contender. In that case, it will force the other contenders to withdraw from the elections and avoid a vote.
A total of twenty-three candidates, including the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Bola Tinubu, who is a powerful ex-governor of Lagos state and some governors, have also registered to contest.
In a statement given by Buhari to state governors, he said the APC had launched policies that assure smooth succession at all levels of the government, including as per the governors the benefit of having a say on who succeeded them.
Buhari stated, “In keeping with the established interior policies of the party, I wish to request the reciprocity and support of the governors and other stakeholders in choosing my successor, who would fly the flag of our party for election into the office of the president.”
Having governors to rally behind a single contender may be quite tricky as some of them want to contest the primary.
Buhari may also face pus hack from Tinubu and Osinbajo, who have campaigned to woo delegates.
The main opposition has selected former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate.
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