The Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina has given an insight into what his principal told members of the Progressives Governors’ Forum about picking his preferred successor.
On Tuesday, Buhari held a closed-door session with the governors before travelling to Spain.
There have since been allegations that the president demanded that the governors allow him choose his successor.
In his usual Friday essays, titled ‘From the Inside – Fridays with Femi Adesina,’ he gave insights into the president’s discussions with the governors.
In a paper titled, ‘Visit to Spain: Let’s Buga for Mr President’, Adesina denied that issues bordering on zoning, consensus, or imposition of candidates were discussed during his conversation with the governors.
He also denied that the president asked the governors to let him pick his successor.
Femi Adesina said: “No word about zoning, consensus, or imposition of candidate. He just charged them to let their plans converge, so that the party would put its best foot forward. Shortly after the meeting, we headed for the airport,” he wrote on Friday.
He noted that, “A short time into the about five hours flight, I went on social media, to see that all hell had broken loose. Trust some Nigerians. When there’s no controversy, they simply create one. They will die of boredom if they don’t have something to wail or ululate about.
“What were they bellyaching on? Oh, he used the words ‘my successor,’ instead of ‘APC candidate.’ That means he wants to rig the election. Otiose.
“Oh, he talked about Governors who performed well being given opportunity to get a second term, for continuity. That means he wants to impose someone from within the government to succeed him. Consensus is what he wants. Puerile.
“Is consensus not one of the acceptable ways of choosing candidates, according to the Electoral Act? So the party can jolly well decide on the method it wants.
“Oh, he didn’t talk about zoning. APC wants to give its ticket to the North. Really? Did you see anything like that in the speech?
“I tell you. When some Nigerians don’t see what they expect in a speech or statement, they simply conjure and create their own. And the wailing starts.”
Related story:
Buhari ‘Shortlists’ 2 APC Aspirants as Preferred Successors
‘What Buhari Told APC Governors About His Preferred Successor’ – Femi Adesina