Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State and Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano have mandated to lead a delegation of Northwest leaders to meet the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, regarding his proposed running mate.
The development is not unconnected with the defections of some APC chieftains in the Northwest and the rising profile of Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso’s New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP).
The decision to send a delegation to Tinubu was reached after a meeting of APC governors, gubernatorial candidates and ministers in Kaduna.
They have resolved to meet with Tinubu to present their case of “vital concerns.”
This was disclosed in a statement issued by APC National Vice-Chairman (North-West), Salihu Lukman, on Thursday in Abuja.
He said the meeting welcomed the initiative to commence the consultative meeting as vital for strengthening the APC in the North-West as well as to improving leadership engagements and cohesion within the zone.
Mr Lukman said the governors and political office holders reviewed the state of the party at the national and zonal levels.
They also acknowledged the challenges facing some APC state chapters and resolved to promote efforts at reconciliation as an urgent priority.
Mr Lukman said, “The meeting noted the contribution of the North-West to the emergence and growth of the APC and its electoral viability, with the North-West providing about 39% of the votes the APC recorded in 2019 and 2015 presidential elections.
“Therefore, the zone resolved to aggregate its interests and vital concerns and engage accordingly with the presidential candidate of the party.”
