After weeks of scheming, strategizing and politicizing Nigeria’s ruling party, All Progressive Congress (APC) produced Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the party’s presidential flag bearer for the forthcoming 2023 elections.
Overview
- APC, a party that will clock a decade of existence by Nigeria’s election year, 2023, is a conglomerate of then opposition parties including the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the All-Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), a faction of the All-Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and a faction of People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
- The just concluded special convention hosted the party’s second presidential primaries in its 9-year history.
- In 2014, APC’s first presidential primaries, President Muhammadu Buhari won his counterparts former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Kano State Governor Rabi’u Kwankwaso, former Imo State Governor and then Publisher of Leadership Newspapers, Sam Nda-Isaiah with 3,430 delegate votes out of the 7,214 accredited delegates.
- In 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari secured the party’s presidential ticket unopposed as he was the sole presidential aspirant of the party.
- In 2022, former Lagos state Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu defeated his counterparts with 1,271 votes out of over 2000 accredited delegates.
What happened at the primaries
- Former Lagos State Governor and APC’s National Leader Bola Ahmed Tinubu has edged closer to “his lifelong ambition” of ruling Nigeria after winning the party’s primaries.
- Seven presidential candidates at the special convention stepped down for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as they found him a more suitable presidential candidate.
- These candidates include Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, Senator Godswill Akpabio, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, Governor of Jigawa State, Mohammed Badaru, Senator Ajayi Boroffice, and the only female candidate Mrs. Uju Ohanenye.
Controversies
- Ahmed Tinubu, in a video that surfaced on the internet recently claimed to be next in line to receive the presidential mantle following an earlier arrangement with President Muhammadu Buhari.
- APC governors had also publicly supported the zoning of the presidency to the southern region of Nigeria. A motion that could have influenced the delegates’ choice of aspirants as the top three winners of the primaries were southerners.
- However, unconfirmed sources claim that some of the delegates at the special convention sold their votes to the highest bidder.
Related
- While former Vice President Atiku Abubakar secured the presidential ticket for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) by defeating other aspirants, Peter Obi got the presidential ticket for the Labour Party as the other candidate stepped down for the former governor of Anambra State.
- Other presidential candidates include Senator Rabi’u Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Mr. Dumebi Kachikwu of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress (AAC).