Investigations have revealed how the Northern delegates’ monetary desires influenced the Northern governors to prevail on President Muhammadu Buhari not to announce a consensus presidential candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC). President Buhari had earlier asked the governors to allow him choose his preferred candidate before travelling to Spain last week.
A party source said the President would have announced his choice among the Presidential aspirants but was prevailed upon by the Northern governors. The source said President Buhari had confided to the Northern governors that his preferred candidate is from the South, the reason that they met and resolved to support a Southern Presidential candidate.
However, the source said they told the President not to announceanybody asthedelegates complained that such an announcement would shortchange them. The party source alleged that the delegates had told the governors that they should be allowed to enjoy what their counterparts in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) enjoyed during their convention.
Recall that at the Special National Convention of the PDP held two weeks ago, it was alleged that money exchanged hands between the delegates and the Presidential aspirants. The allegations of dollars exchanging hands made the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to storm the Convention ground. The source explained that the consensus Candidate of the President might emerged at the Convention ground after the delegates must have been “seen” by the Presidential aspirants.
Speaking the source said: “The Northern delegates don’t want consensus as it would not be favourable to them. “They believe and impressed it on the Northern governors that the President should not announce a consensus candidate. “According to them, they should not be the one to lose out, as their counterparts in the opposition have benefitted from the Special National Convention of their party.
“The governors presented the delegates requested to the President, the need that the President asked the aspirants to go and get a formidable candidate.
“Once the consensus is arrived at, the President would announce this at the eve of the Convention and by them, the delegates would have received their handshakes. The governors are likely to present the consensus candidate Tuesday morning.”
(New Telegraph)
