Gov. Simon Lalong

Governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have recommended Bola Tinubu, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, ex-Transportation Minister, Rotimi Ameachi, Governors Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti) and Dave Umahi (Ebonyi) as possible consensus candidates.

The Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, who confirmed the shortlist said those whose names were submitted had been graded by the party screening committee based on specified metrics.

Those shortlisted are the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu; Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi; former Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi; and Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State.

“From our own recommendations, as of this morning, we recommended five people. In alphabetical order, we said Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, John Kayode Fayemi, David Umahi and Professor Yemi Osinbajo. Those are the ones we made recommendations and we said we should put them forward,” he stated.

“Consensus is possible. Right from yesterday up till today, we have been doing consultations like Mr President said, ‘I give you the opportunity, work on it.’

“The governors and the National Working Committee will continue on that consensus. As of yesterday, we were able to even reduce, made recommendations of about five persons, from 23 to recommendations of about 13 aspirants without disqualifying anybody.”

“Within that 13 aspirants that were graded by the Screening Committee, we now looked at it and then recommended, that was jointly done by the Progressive governors and members of the National Working Committee, reducing it to five.”

Lalong, however, noted that the Northern Governors being only one section of the party, the shortlist will not bar other aspirants from contesting the primaries.