By Romanus Ugwu
The screening of presidential aspirants by the All Progressives Congress (APC) earlier scheduled for today has been postponed.
This is coming on the heels of meetings President Muhammadu Buhari has scheduled with APC governors, National Assembly caucus and presidential aspirants towards arriving at a consensus presidential candidate for the party.
Daily Sun gathered that the leadership of the APC shifted the screening of presidential aspirants, pending the meetings President Buhari has lined up.
Just as it happened before the recent national convention to pick APC National Chairman, sources revealed that President Buhari is aiming to achieve consensus in the choice of presidential candidate and would, in the meetings, unveil his preferred aspirant.
Sources revealed that the meetings would start with governors, followed by National Assembly caucus and finally the presidential aspirants.
Nobody knows the choice of President Buhari among the aspirants in the race for APC presidential ticket. Sources however revealed that the President, during the last trip abroad, made up his mind on who to support for the ticket and who would be running mate.
It was gathered that President Buhari, after unveiling his choice in the meetings, would push for consensus, just as it happened during the process of picking APC’s National Chairman.
After the President zeroed in on Senator Abdullahi Adamu as preferred National Chairman for APC, he held meetings with governors elected on the platform of the party and National Assembly caucus, where he told them the direction. Following that, other Chairmanship aspirants were persuaded to withdraw from the race.
Apparently, reading the writing on the wall, in choice of consensus candidate, a known aspirant from South West is believed to be making arrangements to defect to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) this week to pursue his presidential ambition.
The presidential aspirant, it was gathered, said in order to satisfied himself that he pursued his ambition to the end, his name must be on the ballot in next year’s election.
On the aspirant President Buhari has elected to support, sources said he has interest in North, South East and South South and that the presidential ticket would have North/South South or North/South East combination or vice versa.
Aspirants are in the race to pick the APC presidential ticket include Senate President, Ahmad Lawan; Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo; APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; former Minister of Transportation, Hon Chibuike Amaechi; Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi and ex-Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu.
Other aspirants are former Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajuba; ex-Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio; former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha; former governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun and Ekiti State governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.
Pastor Tunde Bakare; Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello; business mogul, Chief Tein Jack-Rich are also presidential aspirants in APC.
