EMERGENCE OF BUHARI'S DEPUTY STALEMATED, ANOTHER SEVEN-MAN COMMITTEE SET UP

Mohammadu Buhari

 It was learnt at about 2am on Tuesday that the leaders of the APC, who met for several hours at the Rivers State Government Lodge in Abuja, failed to agree on who should be the party’s vice presidential candidate

Nigerians and the world at large may still have to wait for another 24 hours before they know who will be the running mate of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, retired Major General Muhammadu Buhari.

This followed a stalemate in the process for the selection of the candidate in the wee hours of Tuesday.

It was learnt at about 2am on Tuesday that the leaders of the APC, who met for several hours at the Rivers State Government Lodge in Abuja, failed to agree on who should be the party’s vice presidential candidate.

The leaders of the party, whose meeting is usually tagged the Leadership Caucus meeting, could not, after several hours, agree on the choice of a deputy for Buhari.

Rather, the leaders, who usually meet a day before the National Working Committee meeting of the party, set up another seven-man panel to come up with a candidate for the position.

Among those in the seven-man panel are a former Governor of Gombe State, Alhaji Danjuma Goje, and the Interim National Chairman of the party and former Governor of Osun State, Chief Bisi Akande.

However, the Leadership Caucus whittled the considerations for the selection of the candidate.

The first was that the search should now be narrowed to the South West and restricted to either serving governors whose tenure are almost over ex-governors.

If this comes into play, it will throw up the likes of Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State; former Ekiti State Governors, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and Otunba Niyi Adebayo; and a former Governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

It was also agreed that the seven-man panel should not consider a Muslim-Muslim ticket.

If this is applied, then Fashola will be knocked out since the presidential candidate is a Muslim.

It was gathered that the committee was told that if it could still not find a Christian candidate in the South West, it can then extend the search to other zones in the South.

Conspicuously absent at the Leadership Caucus meeting held from Monday night till the early hours of Tuesday was a national leader of the APC and former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Those present included Goje, Akande and governors of the party.

The seven-man committee, will commence its meeting in the early hours of Tuesday before the NWC meeting.

It was learnt that the seven-man panel was also directed to run their eventual choice by Buhari and the governors of the party before making it public.

The committee was told to ensure the candidate is acceptable to all strata of the party.

Among those at the Leadership Caucus meeting were Goje, Akande, Governor Umaru Al-Makura of Nasarawa State, Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Fayemi and Oyinlola.

Source: The Eagle Online