Aso Rock cabals have secured the buy-in of the president for Lawan.
Ahead of Monday’s presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Aso Rock cabal has convinced President Muhammadu Buhari to make Senate President, Ahmad Lawan his successor.
After all plots to bring former President Goodluck Jonathan as the APC candidate appeared to have hit the doldrums, the cabals have now convinced Buhari to present Lawan to the critical stakeholders of the party as his preferred candidate for the plum job.
Buhari while travelling to Madrid, Spain, had met with governors and other stakeholders in the ruling APC to reciprocate support for him in picking his successor.
However, Buhari did not specifically state who it was. This has since raised dust in the ruling party as there was a pool of aspirants.
Meanwhile, Daily Trust gathered that the Aso Rock cabals have secured the buy-in of the president for Lawan.
One of the sources, a former governor, said Lawan was being forced on the president by the cabals.
He was quoted as saying, “Buhari’s nephew, Malam Mamman Daura, a former director-general of the Department of State Services (DSS), Lawal Daura, and the national chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, have succeeded in ramming Lawan down the throat of the president.”
He, however, opined that if the Senate president was forced on the party, it would be a recipe for disaster and implosion.
“Atiku Abubakar will be declared the president-elect by noon on the election day,” he said.
Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar had last Saturday emerged as the flag-bearer of the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 general elections.
Also speaking, an ally of the president expressed shock over the development, saying it would polarise the country.
“I just discussed the issue with one of the president’s aides. We should not allow this to happen. It is not good that after eight years, the president will be bringing another northerner as his successor. This is not good for us and the country.
“In 2007, Obasanjo brought a northerner when he was leaving because of the power-sharing formula between North and South. Anyone that is supporting the North to retain power beyond 2023 is an enemy of the country,” he said.
After two postponements, the ruling party had fixed its presidential primary for June 6, 7 and 8.
Twenty-three aspirants were screened by the party’s screening committee headed by a former governor of Edo State, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.
The pendulum has been swinging towards the national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Ahmad Lawan and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.