The Governor of Plateau State and Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, Simon Lalong on Tuesday confirmed that they have submitted a list of five presidential candidates for the possible emergence of a consensus candidate.
Lalong disclosed this during an an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
All five recommended names are from the southern region of the country, further buttressing the stand of the Governors on their demand for a power shift to the south in 2023.
The Plateau State Governor listed the submitted names as Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, ex-Transportation Minister, Rotimi Ameachi, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti and Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi.
He added that the APC is looking at the possibility of a consensus candidate emerging during the party’s presidential primaries.
“From our own recommendations, as of this morning, we recommended five people. In alphabetical order, we said Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, John Kayode Fayemi, David Umahi and Professor Yemi Osinbajo. Those are the ones we made recommendations and we said we should put them forward,” he stated.
Lalong added that the Governors in consultation with the APC National Working Committee members are working on the possibility of a consensus candidate recommended by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Consensus is possible. Right from yesterday up till today, we have been doing consultations like Mr President said, ‘I give you the opportunity, work on it.’
“The governors and the National Working Committee will continue on that consensus. As of yesterday, we were able to even reduce, made recommendations of about five persons, from 23 to recommendations of about 13 aspirants without disqualifying anybody.”
“Within that 13 aspirants that were graded by the Screening Committee, we now looked at it and then recommended, that was jointly done by the Progressive governors and members of the National Working Committee, reducing it to five.”
