The Tinubu Campaign Organisation, has cautioned the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s leadership on the implications of imposing a consensus presidential candidate on the party ahead of the 2023 election.
In a statement signed by its Legal Director, Babatunde Ogala, SAN, the organisation said the unilateral declaration of the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan as consensus candidate by the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu was at variance with section 84(9) of the Electoral Act 2022.
The section said, “A political party that adopts a consensus candidate shall secure the written consent of all cleared aspirant for the position, indicating their voluntary withdrawal from the race and their endorsement of the consensus candidate”.
The statement said, “The media is inundated with reports that the Chairman of the All progressives Congress (APC) has unilaterally announced the purported adoption of a certain aspirant the consensus presidential candidate of the APC for the forth coming presidential election in 2023.
“While the National Chairman is yet to deny or offer any clarification on the alleged declaration, it is necessary to state that such a declaration is a legal impossibility.
“This is because under the regime of the Electoral Act 2022, consensus, though provided for as one of the means by which a political party may produce its candidate, must specifically occur in a precise form.
“Therefore, any declaration of a consensus candidate would be premature and a violation of extant provisions of the law.
“We are confident that as a law-abiding entity, the APC will not be part of such. We are further persuaded to urge our supporters to disregard this report considering that the overwhelming majority of the APC Northern Governors who, after meeting with the President, re-affirmed their preference for a president from the Southern part of Nigeria.
“This patriotic decision is widely accepted by all Nigerians as a demonstration of deep understanding of the nuanced fault lines of our nation.
“In the circumstance, a unilateral declaration by the National Chairman of a consensus presidential candidate for the party will not only violate the law, but set the party on collision course with its Governors who are critical stakeholders in the party.”
