How APC presidential candidate may emerge

Facts have emerged on why the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) insisted on consensus at its recently concluded national convention, which produced Senator Adamu Abdullahi as substantive chairman.

Sources said since consensus worked for the party in affirming its officials, the method would be adopted to ‘elect’ a presidential candidate in May this year.

It was gathered that a powerful clique at the presidency, which sold the candidacy of Adamu to President Muhammadu Buhari, has, on its template, a Northern Muslim chairman and a Southern Christian presidential candidate.

It was gathered that while the cabal has started beaming its searchlight on the presidential aspirants, who have already begun going round the country, Buhari remains averse to a Muslim-Muslim or Christian-Christian ticket.

The Guardian learnt that the President told few confidants that during his presidential quests in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019, he resisted all entreaties to accept a Muslim as running mate.

It was also said that the APC was able to win the 2015 and 2019 elections because the party was sensitive to religion, ethnic and regional balancing.

A source said: “We have been mindful to give sense of belonging to all ethnic groups and religions. We must be fair to them, and that is the reality of where we are as a country.

“Now that we have Adamu as national chairman, it will not be out of place to have a Christian as presidential candidate and a Muslim from the North as his running mate.”

The source said the South is not in short supply of credible party members that would build on the foundation of the President, reiterating that money is the least factor in choosing the party’s presidential candidate.