‘You’re A Joker’ — Southern Govs Attack APC Chairman Over Lawan’s Declaration As Consensus Candidate

The Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, has described the declaration of Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, as the consensus presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress as an ‘expensive joke’.

Akeredolu said the declaration which was made on Monday by APC national chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, is not only illegal but contradicts the positions of the of northern and southern governors of the APC.

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In a statement titled ‘Abdullahi Adamu On A Frolic Of His Own’, the Ondo governor said the APC chairman has taken a ‘dangerous’ position by openly supporting one of the presidential aspirants vying for the party’s ticket.

His words, “My attention has just been drawn to the expensive joke purportedly enacted by the National Chairman of APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu.

“The speculation is rife that the Chairman took a flight of fancy and decided to make a pronouncement beyond his competence. He has, allegedly, made public his preferred choice as the candidate of the APC for the Office of the President in the next general elections.

Abdullahi-Adamu
APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu

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“This alleged pronouncement runs contrary to the position of majority of Northern Governors in APC and their counterparts in the South. Our agreement is unanimous on this issue. The office of the President should be contested for by qualified persons from the Southern part of the country if the move to get a consensus candidate fails. There has been no shift from this settled issue.

“Let it be known that the Chairman or anyone who holds a contrary opinion does so at a personal level. He is at best embarking on a frolic which reasonable people will consider dangerous.

“We are grieving but have not forgotten that Power MUST shift to the south. On this we stand.”

Earlier, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC had distanced itself from Lawan’s declaration as the party’s 2023 presidential consensus.

While confirming Lawan’s declaration by Adamu, the NWC members described it as the APC chairman’s personal opinion.

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Ahmad-Lawa
Senate President Ahmad Lawan

The APC National Organising Secretary, Suleiman Argungu, told journalists at a briefing on Monday: “It is just a piece of information that he gave us. It is not an issue that has to be deliberated by NWC. It is information. All of us are entitled to our opinion. We are all democrats. This decision was never taken by the NWC.

“That is just information, not an issue that was discussed by the NWC. Just recently, the northern governors had their meeting

“We as members of the NWC, are with the governors on what they have said.

“He did brief us that Ahmad Lawan is our consensus candidate.

“That is just information, not an issue that was discussed by the NWC. Just recently, the northern governors had their meeting

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“We as members of the NWC, are with the governors on what they have said.”

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