There are strong indications that the All Progressives Congress is in a dilemma over the zoning of the 2023 presidency.
Reports have it that on Sunday, although the party was looking southwards to pick its presidential candidate, there was a strong possibility that it could still throw the race open for both northern and southern aspirants.
A top leader of the APC, who confided in one of our correspondents, said the party was still considering options that could make it retain the presidency in 2023.
The party leader said, “Although from all indications, the next chairman will come from the North, that will not stop interested northerners from vying for the APC presidential ticket. We have competent aspirants in the North and the South. We have not made up our minds, but we will go for the best, who will help us retain the presidency in 2023.”
Also, an APC leader from the North stated all options were still on the table for the party.
The party leader stated, “If the chairman and the President come from the North, the worst the party can do is to give the chairman a political appointment and allow his deputy, who will be a southerner to step in. Also, we can retain the present arrangement by retaining a northern chairman and picking our presidential candidate from the south.”
It was, however, learnt that chieftains of the APC, who were pushing for a president from the South were insisting that the party could not turn around to zone Presidency to the North after the same region had produced the chairman of the party.
It was gathered the party’s National Executive Committee would meet on the issue after the February 26 national convention.