Hope rises for Lawan as Buhari rejects Governors’ shortlist of consensus candidates, asks party to maintain “status quo”

President Muhammadu Buhari has reportedly rejected a shortlist of five consensus candidates presented to him by the Governors’ Forum.

The reported rejection of the Governors’ shortlist by President Buhari coincided with the disclosure by Senator Kabiru Gaya (Director General of Osinbajo Campaign Organisation) that the shortlist of consensus candidates had been further trimmed to two: Vice-president Yemi Osinbajo and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The initial shortlist of five aspirants had Osinbajo, Tinubu, Hon Rotimi Amaechi, Dr Kayode Fayemi and Governor Dave Umahi in it.

But THE CONCLAVE reports that as the presidential primary election has got underway, President Buhari is reported to have rejected the list of five names that was first submitted to him by the Governors Forum.

He has neither accepted the subsequent shortlist of two. This may force on the party the necessity to go through the election route to determine the standard bearer.

The rejection of shortlist of five aspirants, as learnt, was consequent upon the deluge of complaints which trailed it.

In the early hours of Tuesday, seven presidential aspirants had issued a joint statement condemning the list of five selected presidential aspirants of the All Progressives Congress presidential aspirants submitted by the Governors Forum to President Buhari for him to choose a consensus presidential standard bearer

Buhari, according to inside sources, in the Presidential Villa was said to have rejected the list of names submitted to him by the Governors’ Forum for allegedly throwing up its own controversies.

The sources said that the President fingered the multiplicity of complaints by other presidential aspirants.

The seven aspirants in a joint statement, during the early of hours of Tuesday,, complained of being marginalised in the selection and consideration process which was against the President’s directive to them to build a consensus and produce a formidable candidate that could be trusted to win election.

A source said that Buhari had instructed the National Chairman of the ruling party, Abdullahi Adamu to maintain status quo, pending the outcome of the consultation process.

What this means is that the consultation process will extend to the primary election venue where intense horse trading is expected to characterise the process of electing the party’s presidential standard bearer.

THE CONCLAVE reports that if it comes down to voting, it will become clear during vote count who must have secured the quiet endorsement by President Buhari to succeed him.

This is because there were feelers that the President had quietly endorsed his successor for whom he was believed to have quietly directed significant delegate support.

It is expected that either of election by consensus or election by dissension will  now determine the process of producing the party’s standard bearer in the 2023 presidential poll.

Senate President,  Ahmad Lawan,  who had been announced by the National chairman of the party as the party’s consensus candidate,  is still very much in the race.

Governor Yahaya Bello, also from the north, is also very much in the race.  He had already arrived at the Eagle Square amid pomp.

Meanwhile, before the primary poll got underway, the source said that Buhari had expressed visible anger on the receipt of a joint memo from other presidential aspirants who complained that they were marginalised in the process of compilation of the five names submitted to him.

While rejecting the list Buhari reportedly mandated the Governors to ensure that all aspirants be carried along and their interests in consonance with any list that would be presented.

The source further said that President Buhari maintained his earlier stance that all presidential aspirants from the entire zones must be consulted and should jointly agree to present a single candidate, saying that anything short of that won’t be acceptable by him.

The source said: ” I can confirm to you that the President has rejected all the names given to him by the Governors. The President wants all candidates to be properly consulted before any list is forwarded to him.”

“As it stands the President is unhappy with the complaints of marginalisation by other aspirants and he has asked the party Chairman to maintain the status quo.”

Recall that Tuesday morning, governors who are members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) submitted the names of five presidential aspirants to President Muhammadu Buhari from which list he was expected to select a consensus candidate.

The names included those of the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti State), Rotimi Amaechi, former Minister of Transportation, and Governor Dave Umahi (Ebonyi State).

However in a swift reaction, seven presidential aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress rejected the names of five presidential aspirants submitted to President Buhari, as most preferred by northern governors.

The aspirants protested that they were not consulted before the northern governors arrived at the decision.

The aggrieved aspirants were Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade; former Minister for State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba; former Minister for Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu; former Governor Rochas Okorocha and businessman Tein Jack-Rich.

They made this known in a joint statement on Tuesday, in which they distanced themselves from the list.

In a seeming confirmation of dispute in the list submitted by the Governors, presidential aspirants from the South-East in another letter addressed to President Buhari requested him to select one of the aspirants from the South-East to emerge as party’s  presidential candidate.

In a letter signed by six aspirants from the South East Zone, they urged Buhari to intervene during the convention for “proper guidance”.

The letter was signed by Ikeobasi Mokelu, former ministers of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu; state for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, and Mrs. Ken Uju-Ohanenye.

Senator Rochas Okorocha was listed among signatories but didn’t append his signature.

In a similar development, the senior pastor of Citadel Global Community Church (CGCC), Tunde Bakare, dismissed the purported Governors’ list, saying that he was still in the race for the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

But Mr Bakare told newsmen on Tuesday afternoon that he had not been consulted by anyone in the party on “the advice to step down.”

“I have not heard. There are several news stories flying around. I have to be told officially. I have not been told.

“I will confirm the structure when I get to the venue (venue of the convention). But I remain in the race. I have not stepped down,” he said.