2023: Buhari's Alleged Preference To Abdullahi Adamu As APC Chairman Might Be Game Over For Tinubu

2023: Buhari's Alleged Preference To Abdullahi Adamu As APC Chairman Might Be Game Over For Tinubu

Barely 24 hours to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) long-awaited national convention, it appears that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu's presidential ambition is set to suffer a huge setback.

According to a report by the DAILY POST, Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari has insisted on the emergence of Senator Abdullahi Adamu as his preferred candidate for the position of National Chairman ahead of the APC's National Convention which is scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 26, 2022.

There are indications that Buhari made his choice known to Chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), Atiku Bagudu during a meeting on Wednesday.

Speaking during an interview on Channels TV on Thursday, Lalong disclosed that the President has not only insisted on zoning the chairmanship seat to the North Central region of the country, but he has also picked Abdullahi Adamu as his anointed candidate.

"The president said he preferred the chairman should come from the north-central zone.

Then we went back again after deliberations and we asked 'do you have a preferred candidate in the north-central zone?' The president said yes, that he prefers Abdullahi," Lalong disclosed.

He went on to say that any party delegate that does not accept Buhari's preference, is free to vote for any candidate of their choice.

Judging from the governor's comments, it appears that he and his colleagues in the PGF have decided to fall in line with the President's choice of Adamu Abdullahi as the party's national chairman.

If this is true, then this development might prove to be game over for the aspirations of some candidates who are hoping to clinch the APC's presidential ticket ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Topping that list is none other than the Jagaban of Borgu himself, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the reasons are not far-fetched.

First of all, Adamu and Tinubu have clashed heads before while they were governors back in the day.

You may recall that the former Nasarawa governor was a strong supporter of the Olusegun Obasanjo administration that lasted from 19999 to 2007. In fact, Adamu was said to be one of the few governors who rigorously bought into OBJ's third term agenda, much to the chagrin of Tinubu and his associates. The political battle that ensued, as a result, saw both men butt heads fiercely during that period.

After the political onslaught, which saw Asiwaju triumph over his colleague from Nasarawa, both men drifted apart and do not have any relationship (politically speaking).

Secondly, Abdullahi Adamu is known to be against zoning, a sentiment he made clear during an interview some months ago.

The Senator does not see anything wrong if the next president comes from the North, as evidenced by his comments during a press briefing in Abuja in 2021.

This means that there is no guarantee that an APC National Working Committee (NWC) led by Adamu will be sympathetic to presidential aspirants from the South against the North.

Furthermore, with the emergence of Adamu as Buhari's preferred candidate for the chairmanship position, it is expected that Asiwaju will once again battle hard to thwart whatever agenda the Senator may pose against his lifelong dream of becoming the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.