The All Progressives Congress, may have settled for a Northern presidential candidate, with a Vice Presidential candidate from the South East.
Party sources told this newspaper that the party may favour a powerful politician, who holds the number three position in the country and a serving governor from the South East has been penciled for the Vice Presidential ticket.
The source said “It is clear that the PDP will get its presidential candidate from the North.
“If the APC chooses its presidential candidate from the South, the PDP will easily ride to victory in the presidential election, because most voters in the North will support one of their own.
“No Presidential candidate from the South can defeat a Northern presidential candidate. If the PDP fields Atiku Abubakar, who is making his fifth attempt to be President, it will not be so easy to convince northerners to back or vote for a Southerner.
“We know the mentality of voters in the North, but if the PDP goes for a presidential candidate from the South, then a presidential candidate from the South, particularly from the South East would appeal to the sensibilities of Northerners. It is as simple as that.
“The PDP ruined the chances of the South,especially the South East by throwing its presidential ticket open. if the opposition party had insisted on zoning its presidential ticket to the South, the APC would have been compelled to tow same path.
Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, had reportedly alleged that the APC has concluded plans to field Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, as its 2023 presidential candidate.
Tambuwal, who is also aspiring for the presidency on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said in Lokoja, when addressing PDP delegates in Kogi State, that the ruling party is gradually moving away from the zoning arrangement in the country.
“We know their tricks. They want to see the outcome of our primary election come May 28 and 29 before they will decide who will be their candidate
“Look at the APC National Chairman. He is quiet about their supposed zoning arrangement simply because they already have plans to field Senator Ahmed Lawan depending on who is the presidential candidate of our party” the Punch quoted Tambuwal.
Former Governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu, had on Saturday, said nine presidential candidates in the APC will step down for the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan
“As I am talking to you, about nine presidential aspirants from our party have intimated me of their plans to drop their presidential ambition to support Ahmed Lawan.
“Does that not signify victory before the election? Lawan’s candidature will rock like hurricane.
“Lawan is from the North East and has similar sympathy with the South East that is yet to produce a president.
“I have repeated my reasons for dropping my ambition for Lawan severally and I am sure Nigerians are aware already
Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, his Yobe State counterpart and immediate past Chairman of the APC Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, Mai Mala Buni, were among top APC chieftains who returned Lawan’s Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms to run for President.