Major General Muhammadu Buhari (ret.) of Nigeria has endorsed a power shift to the south in 2023.
He stated this during a dinner with All Progressives Congress presidential candidates in Abuja.
According to a source close to the meeting, Buhari failed to name a consensus candidate.
He also stated that the President requested that the aspirants consult prior to the party's primary.
According to the news sources, Buhari met with the aspirants in the Presidential Villa on Saturday.
Buhari had called for reciprocity in selecting his successor during a meeting with state governors on Tuesday.
"In accordance with the party's established internal policies, and as we approach the convention in a few days, I wish to seek the reciprocity and support of the governors and other stakeholders in selecting my successor, who would fly the flag of our party for election into the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2023." I want to reassure you that the consultation process will continue until the convention to ensure that all aspirants and stakeholders are included.
"This will also ensure that any anxiety caused by various factors is effectively controlled and that our party emerges stronger," Buhari said.
Other APC presidential aspirants include Senate President Ahmad Lawan and former ministers Rotimi Amaechi, Ogbonnaya Onu, Godswill Akpabio, and Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, in addition to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and former Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu.
Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), and Ben Ayade (Ebonyi) are serving governors who want to be president (Cross River).
Former Senate President Ken Nnamani, former House of Representatives Speaker Dimeji Bankole, and serving senators Ibikunle Amosun, Ajayi Boroffice, and Rochas Okorocha are also among those nominated.
Pastor Tunde Bakare, President Buhari's running mate in 2011, Uju Ken-Ohanenye, Nicholas Felix, Ahmad Rufai Sani, Tein Jack-Rich, and Ikeobasi Mokelu are also running for president.
In May, Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu warned the APC against zoning the 2023 presidential election to the north, saying it would cause a crisis.
According to him, the southern part of the country will produce the next president.
According to Akeredolu, the agreement reached when the APC micro-zoned the party's offices during its National Convention must be followed.
"Our party, the All Progressives Congress, has begun the process that will eventually culminate in the presentation of elected political leaders who must steer the affairs of the country for another term," the statement said. We were able to successfully hold the party's Convention. New party officers were elected in a process that was widely regarded as free of rancor. Everyone has demonstrated an admirable level of comprehension and maturity. Known opponents have been forced to accept the emerging fact that our party is formidable and well-prepared for the next general election.
"The current socioeconomic crises can be overcome." It is commendable that the government is dealing with these issues calmly. The Federal Government and our great party's leadership will emerge stronger. We cannot, therefore, afford any internal squabbling that has the potential to sow discord and undermine cohesion, harmony, and the drive to achieve set goals." The current democratic regime is founded on an unwritten convention guided by the principle of equity. More appealingly, political expediency dictates that, while adhering to the spirit and letter of the laws governing election and succession to political offices, we must do nothing that could tip the delicate balance against the established arrangement that ensures peace and promotes trust.
"Our party just elected officers on the established principle of ensuring that every part of the country has a significant stake in the political calculus." The emphasis has now shifted to the process that will culminate in our party's participation in the general election scheduled for next year. All supporters of peace and liberty must do everything possible to avoid tendencies that may lead to decisions that foster distrust and lead to a crisis whose outcome no one can predict.
"The party's leadership ensured that the principle of rotational representation guided its decision at the recently concluded convention." The position of party chairman has been given to the North. On this basis, all other offices have been filled. This is the time for the party's leaders to make a clear, unequivocal statement about the succession pattern.
"The Executive Committee of the party has set a fee for the purchase of the nomination form for the office." It is widely expected that it will complete the process by limiting the proclivity for disagreement to a region for possible micromanagement. It is critical that we avoid self-inflicted crises prior to the general elections.
"It is the southern part of the country's turn to produce the next President." The party leadership should have no trouble making statements on this critical issue, just as it has set various fees for the purchase of forms. This must be completed as soon as possible. The principle of federal character is enshrined in the 1999 Amendments to the Constitution. Anyone who argues against rotation at this time is being dishonest.
"We must not keep our party men and women guessing about the party's leadership position." This is the time to speak up and take charge of the situation. No statement should imply, even tangentially, that the party harbors certain sentiments that might lead it to consider canceling the election. "This is not the time for equivocation."
