APC presidential primary: Seven aspirants step down for Tinubu, one withdraws for Osinbajo

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary, which began on Tuesday and lasted till early hours of Wednesday, was characterised by drama as aspirants stepped down for a former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and the Vice-President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo.

Although the convention proper was supposed to have commenced at 3.30pm based on the programme of events, it did not begin until about 7:40pm when the President  Muhammadu Buhari arrived the Eagles Square in Abuja, venue of the primary.

Although 21 aspirants were in the race, contestants including Governor Kayode Fayemi; ex-Minister of Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio; a former Governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun; Senator Ajayi Boroffice; the Jigawa State Governor, Abubakar Badaru and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, stepped down for Tinubu. The only female aspirant in the race also stepped down for the former Lagos State Governor.

Meanwhile, another presidential aspirant, Nicholas Felix, who stepped down for Osinbajo said the party could not have a Muslim-Muslim ticket.

In his welcome address, the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, called for a compromise to be reached on all fronts.

The APC national chairman disclosed that it is the bedrock of democracy, which everybody including delegates and aspirants should not be afraid to imbibe.

He stated, “We cannot continue to make our choice out of sentiments or other primordial considerations. That will only invoke in us a wrong choice that we might regret.

“In the course of this decision making, we need to be called upon to make compromises to achieve our goals and objectives as a party.

“Democracy, by its nature, permits such compromises in the spirit of give and take. Indeed, no human society can survive without compromises.

“Let us, therefore, not be afraid of making them with clear conscience and sense of responsibilities,” he urged.