Next president must come from South-West —Yoruba APC leaders

A stakeholders meeting of leaders of the SouthWest chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) met in Lagos on Friday with a resolve that the next president of Nigeria must come from their region. 

The trio of former governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, were among the major presidential and governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South-West that attended the meeting co-convened by former interim national chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande and former Ogun State governor, Olusegun Osoba, on Friday in Lagos. 

Chief Akande who briefed the press after the 2-hour meeting said the South-West chapter of the party was united on the presidency coming to the zone in 2023. He added that all those in attendance at the meeting had a fruitful discussion. 

He refused to entertain further questions from newsmen. It was, however, gathered that the meeting affirmed the right of all aspirants to contest the elections while advising them to be civil in their campaigns. 

The meeting was called to ensure that aspirants in the 2023 general election conduct their campaigns free of hostility and rancour. The meeting was also attended by aspirants for the National Assembly. Tinubu, Osinbajo and Fayemi are presidential aspirants. 

Also at the meeting, apart from the aspirants, were Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Chief Niyi Adebayo and Governors Rotimi Akeredolu, Dapo Abiodun and Gboyega Oyetola of Ondo, Ogun and of Osun states, respectively. Others included former Osun State governor and Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola and the APC national secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore. Osinbajo arrived at the venue of the meeting in same vehicle with Aregbesola. 

Former governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun; Pastor Tunde Bakare and former House of Representatives Speaker, Dimeji Bankole and other Yoruba aspirants on the party’s platform were absent.