It has emerged that the powerful cabal around President Muhammadu Buhari is fanning the multiplication of presidential aspirants in the All Progressives Congress, APC with the sole aim of weakening the region in the presidential primaries and as such frustrating power shift.
Northern elder-statesman, Tanko Yakassai has also alluded to the claim that the Aso Rock cabal as being behind many aspirants from the south declaring for the 2023 presidential election.
According to him “The cabal is doing it to break the ranks of the southern part of the country that are clamouring for a power shift,” he said in a statement on Monday.
“We know that all these presidential aspirants of the APC from the south are being encouraged by some cabals in the Presidency for the purpose of breaking the clamour for a southern presidential candidate from the APC.”
The silence of APC over zoning has not helped the matter. The national chairman of APC Abdullahi Adamu some weeks ago revealed that no decision on zoning has been taken yet promising the party will come out with the decision at a later date. . But with less than three weeks until the primaries, the waiting game still continues.
With more aspirants from the south, the votes would be splintered during the primaries which may give opportunity for a candidate from the north to emerge. Another twist to the issue is the recent code of conduct reeled out by the party for all the presidential aspirants.
The action may pave the way for an anointed candidate to emerge by the end of May when the party is expected to hold its presidential primaries.
Several politicians from the south like Governor A Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State and elder-statesman Edwin Clark have warned the APC on the consequence of its failure to zone the presidency to the south in 2023.
