Presidency: Drama, Colour As APC Holds Primary

Post created on 11:15 am

The All Progressives Congress presidential primary, which began on Tuesday and lasted till early hours of Wednesday, was characterised by drama as aspirants stepped down for a  former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and the Vice-President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo.

Although the convention proper was supposed to have commenced at 3.30pm based on the programme of events, it did not begin until about 7:40pm when the President Muhammadu Buhari arrived.

Although 21 aspirants were in the race, contestants including Governor Kayode Fayemi; ex-Minister of Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio; a former Governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun; Senator Ajayi Boroffice; the Jigawa State Governor, Abubakar Badaru and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, stepped down for Tinubu.

A presidential aspirant, Nicholas Felix, who stepped down for Osinbajo said the party could not have a Muslim-Muslim ticket.

In his welcome address, the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, called for a compromise to be reached on all fronts.

The APC national chairman disclosed that it is the bedrock of democracy, which everybody including delegates and aspirants should not be afraid to imbibe.

The sorting of votes by national delegates has commenced at the presidential primary election of the All Progressives Congress.

Going into the 2nd day of the APC Presidential primary, the ballot casting exercise to determine the fate of aspirants, which was carried out by 2,340 delegates, started at about 2.40 am and at ended 7.45 am.

The six-hour voting process ended with a few delegates still hanging around in a near-empty field of Eagle Square.

However, feelers from the convention ground in Abuja indicated that the battle for the sole presidential ticket is still down to former Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo; Senate President, Ahmad Lawan and the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.