National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu, on Friday said the ruling party has not taken any decision on the zoning of its presidential ticket ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Abdullahi told journalists at the Presidential Villa, Abuja after presenting the Ekiti APC Governorship candidate, Abiodun Oyebanji, to President Muhammadu Buhari in his office that the decision on which part of the country should produce the ruling party candidate was beyond him.
This is just as Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the acclaimed National Leader of the APC), on Friday picked the party’s nomination and expression of interest forms of the ruling party after the payment of N100 million, in Abuja.
Loyalists of the APC National Leader picked up the forms on his behalf as Tinubu is currently on pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
Emeka Nawjuiba, Minister of State of Education; Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State; Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, are among aspirants who picked the forms ahead of Tinubu.
Although the ruling party has not zoned its presidency, most of those in the race are from the South.
The decision of the ruling party to swap its national offices between the North and the South led to the emergence of Senator Abdullahi Adamu from the North Central as the national chairman.
Before the convention, Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State had said though the APC had not decided on zoning the presidential ticket, the swapping of national offices was an indication of where its presidential candidate would come from.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed June 3 as deadline for political parties to submit the names of the candidates.
While reacting to a question that sought a categorical statement on the zone to produce the presidential candidate, Adamu said: “I am today privileged to be the chairman of the party. The party is greater than me. The party has not made a decision and I cannot preempt what the party decision will be.”
The decision of the ruling party to swap its national offices between the North and the South led to the emergence of Adamu from the North Central as the national chairman.
Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State had said just before the last national convention of the party that even though the APC had not decided on zoning the presidential ticket, the swapping of national offices was an indication of where its presidential candidate would come from.
The APC national chairman, who defended the expensive presidential and governorship nomination forms, said the party did not regret the decision.
The convention that will produce the APC presidential flag bearer will hold May 30/June 1.
