Leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress in the seven states of the North-West have begun moves to lobby the party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to pick his running mate from the zone.
The North-West governors and ministers took this decision on Thursday in Kaduna after a crucial meeting also attended APC gubernatorial candidates in the 2023 general elections as well as party leaders from the states of the zone.
APC National Vice Chairman (North-West), Dr. Salihu Lukman, in a statement in Abuja, disclosed plans by the zone to engage Tinubu about the need for him to pick his running mate from their zone.
Lukman said to make this a reality, the zone resolved to aggregate its interests and vital concerns while engaging accordingly with the party’s presidential flagbearer.
The statement read, “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 the 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.
“The meeting welcomed the initiative to commence this consultative meeting as vital for strengthening the APC in the North-West and improve leadership engagements and cohesion within the zone.
“Participants received the zonal report from the National Vice Chairman (North-West) and reviewed the state of the party at the national level and within the zone. The zonal meeting welcomed the successful conclusion of primaries at the state and national levels. Participants acknowledged the challenges facing some state chapters of the party and resolved to promote efforts at reconciliation as an urgent priority.
“Participants requested the National Vice-Chairman (North-West) to ensure that the consultative meeting is sustained as a vital tool for cohesion within the party.”
