The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said reports making the rounds claiming President Muhammadu Buhari had directed that power shifts to the south, is false.
Speaking in response to the reports which came about after Buhari and party leaders met with the aspirants at the State House in Abuja, Saturday night, spokesman to National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, Muhammad Nata’ala Keffi, said the gathering didn’t discuss zoning.
While Dismissing the reports as fake and misleading, he said the President only advised the aspirants to build “a consensus that would help the party reduce the number of aspirants and bring up a formidable candidate”.
“From the quotations from Mr President’s speech, nowhere was zoning mentioned.
“We call on the public to disregard any information about the zoning of the presidential contest to any part of the country.
“What Mr President want is the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians; no more, no less.”
The statement added that APC was desirous of a credible and acceptable candidate who can move Nigeria forward with sincerity of purpose.
Meanwhile, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, has warned against messing around with the issue of zoning, saying the party could lose next year's presidential election if it fails to 'tread the path of equity' by opposing power shift to the Southern part of the country.
Akeredolu who is the chairman of the South West Governors Forum, made the statement following a recent statement by the Party's National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, claiming the party hasn't settled on issues of zoning.
Akeredolu who seem displeased with the party's position on the matter, said the APC's swift decision to slap N100 million fee for the purchase of forms, cannot be more easier than taking a clear position on zoning the Presidency to the South.
He said the principle of Federal Character is enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, as amended. Therefore, it will be disingenuous for anyone to argue against rotation at this period. He said party must decide on the matter without delay.
“We must not keep our party men and women guessing on the position of the leadership of the party. This is the time to weigh in and take control of the process. No statement must suggest, even remotely, that the party harbours certain sentiments which may predispose it to consider throwing the contest open. This is certainly not the time for equivocation. Equity dictates that we take a stand,” he said.