2023: South expected to produce APC presidential candidate, says El-Rufai
…shuts out Kogi Governor Bello from race
Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, says in line with the All Progressives Party, APC, constitution, the presidential candidate of the party for the 2023 general elections is expected to come from the southern part of the country.
Speaking on Channels TV programme Politics Today which was monitored by our correspondent, El-Rufai said with the national chairman of the party already zoned to the North Central, one of the three zones in the south will fly the party’s ticket for presidency in 2023.
This he said was because the party’s constitution says the presidential candidate of the party and the national chairman cannot come from the same zone.
He however clarified that the party’s constitution sees zoning in the nation as the north and the south and not the six geopolitical zones.
“This zoning is strictly for party positions, but it should also affect the presidential candidate of the party. In the constitution of our party, there is a provision that says where the national chairman of our party is from the north, the president must be from the south, the chairman and the president can’t come from the same zone.
“The definition of zone in our party constitution is north and south. What we know now based on this zoning is that the expectation that the expectation is that our presidential candidate will come from somewhere in the south, it’s left from the southern caucus of the APC to propose to us an acceptable candidate, that is the broad possibility, that’s what is in the constitution,” El-Rufai said.
El-Rufai’s position shuts out Kogi State Governor, Yaya Bello, from the presidential race as he is from the north.
At least, about four aspirants from the south have officially declared their intention to contest the nation’s number seat on the platform of the APC.
They include National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, former Abia State Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, and young businessman, Ihechukwu Dallas Chima.
While they have not declared, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, are also rumoured to be eyeing Nigeria’s No. 1 position.
