Akpabio, Amosun, Bankole, Fayemi, others step down for Tinubu
Yahaya Bello, Osinbajo, Onu, Bakare, Amaechi fight on
Many aspirants out to confuse not to contest – Insider
Lots of intrigue and drama were on display in Abuja on Tuesday night as the National Convention of the ruling All Progressives Congress to elect its presidential flag bearer in the 2023 general election went to the wire.
In a rather dramatic twist, some of the big aspirants announced their ‘personal sacrifice’ to step down for former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
An insider, who described the development as a “show of shame,” confided in The Point that they were, abinitio, never out to contest but to confuse and obfuscate the system to achieve a predetermined end.
The source said, “What you are seeing on display today in Abuja is nothing but a show of shame. Do you mean all these highly placed individuals, governors, former governors who are now ministers, or senators did not know what they want for Nigeria? It was a well-arranged plan. Theirs was to confuse the people and not that they really wanted to contest. It was to obfuscate the system. If they do this with APC, will they do it again with PDP?” the source queried.
The first of the presidential aspirants to declare his withdrawal from the contest and to support Tinubu was former Governor of AkwaIbom State and lately Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, GodswillAkpabio.
He explained that he took the decision to step down for the APC chieftain in the interest of the party and the nation, and asked his supporters to pitch their tents with the former Lagos State governor.
In a similar fashion, six other aspirants mounted the podium to announce their withdrawal from the contest for the APC presidential ticket and directed their delegates to vote for Tinubu.
They are former governor of Ogun State, IbikunleAmosun; Governor KayodeFayemi of Ekiti State; former Speaker of the House of Representatives, DimejiBankole; Governor AbubakarBadaru of Jigawa; Senator AjayiBoroffice; and the only female aspirant in the contest, Uju Ken-Ohanenye.
Vice President YemiOsibanjo also had one co-contestant stepping down for him. Nicholas Felix, a Nigerian pastor based in the United States, announced that he was withdrawing from the contest to support the Vice President’s presidential ambition.
However, some contestants stoically held on and refused to step down or be persuaded to give up their aspirations and conviction on any ground. They include Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, former minister of Science and Technology, OgbonnayaOnu; Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, Pastor Tunde Bakare, RochasOkorocha, Governor Ben Ayade and a host of others.
Efforts by the party to pick one of the 23 aspirants had failed to yield the desired result. And even the resolution of the Northern Governors Forum to cede power to the South failed to make any meaningful impact.
